reactions transfer usable energy
⚡AP BIOLOGY STUDY GUIDE
Unit 3: Cellular Energetics Study Guide
Learn enzymes, photosynthesis, cellular respiration, energy coupling, and metabolic regulation.
8 key ideas8 flashcards5 practice questions
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Track energy transfer, not energy storage alone.
phosphate bonds carry transferable energy
movement, transport, and synthesis proceed
Key ideas to know
Start with the relationships between ideas. Then close the notes and explain each one from memory.
- 01
Enzymes lower activation energy without being consumed.
- 02
Temperature, pH, substrate concentration, and inhibitors can affect enzyme activity.
- 03
ATP couples energy-releasing reactions to energy-requiring work.
- 04
Photosynthesis stores light energy in chemical bonds.
- 05
Light-dependent reactions produce ATP, reduced electron carriers, and oxygen.
- 06
The Calvin cycle uses carbon dioxide to produce G3P.
- 07
Cellular respiration transfers energy from fuel molecules to ATP.
- 08
Feedback inhibition regulates metabolic pathways.
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Open the full AP Biology guide →Two ideas worth correcting now
NOT QUITE
→Plants perform photosynthesis instead of respiration
USE THIS INSTEAD
Plants perform both processes. Photosynthesis stores energy, and respiration transfers energy to ATP.
NOT QUITE
→Enzymes make an unfavorable reaction favorable
USE THIS INSTEAD
Enzymes lower activation energy but do not alter the reaction's free-energy difference.
Flashcards
Answer before opening each card. The effort to retrieve is part of the learning.
1What is activation energy?Show answer ＋
The energy required to start a chemical reaction.
2Where does glycolysis occur?Show answer ＋
In the cytosol.
3What is the final electron acceptor in aerobic respiration?Show answer ＋
Oxygen.
4Where do the light-dependent reactions occur?Show answer ＋
In the thylakoid membranes.
5What does the Calvin cycle produce directly?Show answer ＋
G3P, a three-carbon sugar precursor.
6Where does the citric acid cycle occur in eukaryotes?Show answer ＋
In the mitochondrial matrix.
7What powers ATP synthase?Show answer ＋
The movement of protons down an electrochemical gradient.
8What does a competitive inhibitor do?Show answer ＋
It competes with the substrate for the enzyme's active site.
Explain it in your own words
Use the answer as a check after you have written or spoken your response.
01How can pH alter enzyme activity?
It can alter charges and interactions that maintain the active site's three-dimensional form.
02Why is oxygen needed for oxidative phosphorylation?
It accepts electrons at the end of the transport chain, allowing electron transfer and proton pumping to continue.
03How are photosynthesis and respiration connected?
The products of one process can become reactants for the other as matter cycles.
04Why does fermentation permit glycolysis to continue?
It regenerates NAD plus, which glycolysis needs to accept electrons.
05How can feedback inhibition regulate a pathway?
An end product binds to an early enzyme and reduces further product formation.
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