C3, C4, and CAM Plants

C3 plants is the first organic product of carbon fixation, a three-carbon compound, 3-phosphoglycerate. C3 plants produce less food when their stomata close on hot and dry days and ribisco can only accept O2 in replace of CO2, which means that the Calvin cycle would have more O2 than CO2. This then results in a process known as photorespiration where it produces no food and generates no ATP. Photorespiration decreases photosynthetic output.
C4 plants form a four-carbon compound as its first product which includes bundle-sheath cells and mesophyll cells as two types of photosynthetic cells. Bundle-sheath cells are arranged into tightly packed sheaths around the veins. Mesophyll cells are found between the bundle sheath and the left surface. The enzyme PEP carboxylase adds CO2 to PEP, therefore being able to fix CO2 efficentiely when ribisco cannot. Within the bundle-sheath cells, the four-carbon compound releases CO2, and mesophyll cells pump CO2 into the bundle sheath cells.
CAM plants open their stomata during the night and close them during the day. They close their stomata during the day because it helps desert plants conserve water, as well as prevent CO2 from entering the leaves. When the leaves are opened during the nighttime, the plants take up CO2. The mesophyll cells store the organic acids they make during the night until the morning when their stomata close. Therefore, during the day, the light reactions that supply ATP and NADPH for the Calvin cycle release CO2 from the organic compound that was made the night before.

Source: Campbell book

Structure of Macromolecules

Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids are all macromolecules, a protein that consists of thousands of covalently bonded atoms. Each macromolecule has their own specific function and how the look. Some use condensation reaction and dehydration reaction, as well as hydrolysis to dissemble or assemble bonds. Carbohydrates include monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. Monosaccharides is the simplest carbohydrate, also known for sugar. Disaccharide consists of two monosaccharides and polysaccharides consist of thousands of monosaccharides. Important polysaccharides are plants that use cellulose for their tough walls and animals that store glycogen. Starch and gluecose are commonly used.
Lipids on the other hand, are diverse hydrophobic molecules which do not include polymers. the hydrophobic behavior of lipids is based on their molecular structure, consisting mostly of hydrocarbons. Lipids include fats, phospholipids, and steroids. Fats are constructed from glycerol and fatty acids. Fatty acids vary in length and how many bonds they have. The major function of fat is energy storage. Phosophilipds have two fatty acid tails and can be polar charged. The phosopholipids form a boundary between the cell and it's environment and are major components for cell membranes. Steroids are lipids with four fused rings on it's carbon skeleton. Cholesterol is a common component of steroids and found in animal cell membranes.
Proteins consist of one or more polypeptides (amino acids) and the physical and chemical properties of the side chain determines what that specific amino acid does. A protein's configuration determines how it works; the function of a protein depends on its ability to recognize and bind to other molecules. Proteins have four structures and can unfold due to denaturation. But once a protein denaturizes, it no longer functions.
Nucleic acids are informational polymers which store and transmit hereditary information. Two types of nucleic acids are DNA and RNA. DNA is the genetic material an organisms inherits from their parents.Each gene along the DNA molecule directs the synthesis of the messenger RNA. Messenger RNA then directs the genetic instructions for building proteins from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. DNA molecules form a double helix, and the bases have to go together with the same pair. If this is not correct, then the DNA copying of genes will not be correct either.
Five things that I learned was that 1) fatty acids vary in length and how many bonds they have. The major function of fat is energy storage, 2) Phosophilipds are hydrophobic to water, but the phosphate group and its attachments can form a hydrophilic head that likes water, 3)Proteins have four structures and can unfold due to denaturation. But once a protein denaturizes, it no longer functions, 4)Messenger RNA then directs the genetic instructions for building proteins from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, and 5)Protein conformation can depend on physical and chemical conditions of the protein's environment, as well as pH, salt concentration, temperature, and other aspects of its environment.

Source: Campbell book
Website: http://biomodel.uah.es/en/model3/index.htm

Biochemistry Unit Wordle

Ninety-six percent of all living matter is composed of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen. We need these elements to live. Each element consists of atoms, subatomic particles such as protons, neutrons, and electrons. Each elements differ in their number of subatomic particles, resulting in different atomic number and atomic weight. Isotopes differ in the amount of neutrons the element contains. Bonds are also important because those are what holds the elements together; nonpolar and polar covalent bonds give elements a negative or positive attraction, due from their electronegativity attraction from electrons. Water is the solvent of life. Six properties of water are crucial to our biosphere.
Carbon atoms and carbon skeletons are crucial to the formation and diversity of organic molecules. Furthermore, carboyhydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids each have their own unique structures that determine their roles. Carbohydrates are used for fuel and building materials, proteins for structural support, storage, movement, and defense. The most important protein is an enzyme which accelerates chemical reactions within the cell. Lipids are hydrophobic molecules and nucleic acids such as RNA and DNA transmit hereditary information within the cell.

Ecology Unit Wordle

The words listed are important to the ecology unit because we see major themes that pop up in every chapter. Each species has it's own evolution, it's own niche, and therefore it's own behavior to adapting to their environment. They must fave interspecific and intraspecific interactions with other organisms. Without the biogeochemical cycles, our ecosystem/biosphere would not be able to obtain carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, etc. Also, without our trophic levels, there would be no transfer of energy or releasement of heat as the level of organizations(another theme) moves up after each organism eats an organism. Ecosystems are subject to changes and it can be caused by either organisms or humans. Humans can set fire, destroy lands for urbanization and agriculture, while abiotic and biotic factors can affect the ecosystems. As ecosystems are being wiped out, animals are going to be labeled as endangered or threatened species.