Summary GRADE 12 BIOLOGY – UNIT 2: METABOLIC PROCESSES NOTES

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.​ Overview of Metabolism​

2.​ ATP: The Cell’s Energy Currency​

3.​ Cellular Respiration​

○​ Glycolysis​

○​ Pyruvate Oxidation​

○​ Krebs Cycle​

○​ Electron Transport Chain​

○​ Chemiosmosis​

○​ Anaerobic Respiration​

4.​ Photosynthesis​

○​ Chloroplast Structure​

○​ Light-Dependent Reactions​

○​ Light-Independent Reactions (Calvin Cycle)​

5.​ Comparing Photosynthesis & Cellular Respiration​

6.​ Factors Affecting Metabolic Rate​




1. OVERVIEW OF METABOLISM
Metabolism = all chemical reactions inside a living organism.

Two major types:

1. Catabolism

, ●​ Breaking down molecules → releases energy​

●​ Example: Cellular respiration breaks glucose into CO₂ + H₂O​

●​ Exergonic reaction (energy output)​



2. Anabolism

●​ Building larger molecules from smaller ones​

●​ Example: photosynthesis builds glucose​

●​ Endergonic reaction (energy input)​




2. ATP – ENERGY CURRENCY OF THE
CELL
ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) stores and releases energy.

Adenine — Ribose — P—P—P

↑

High-energy bonds




ATP Hydrolysis

ATP→ADP+Pi​+Energy

Cells use ATP for:

●​ Muscle contraction​

●​ Active transport​

●​ DNA/RNA synthesis​

●​ Cell division​