Macromolecules General
The smaller, repeating units that link together to form a polymer.
What are monomers?
The property of water that allows it to stick to other water molecules.
What is cohesion?
This simple monosaccharide sugar is the primary, preferred, and immediate source of fuel for nearly all of your body's cells.
What is glucose?
The monomer unit of proteins.
What are amino acids?
All the living organisms in a particular area, plus the non-living parts of the environment.
What is an ecosystem?
Known by the acronym CHO, these three elements are the only ones found in all four major classes of biological macromolecules
What are Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen?
The type of bond responsible for the cohesion and adhesion of water.
What is a hydrogen bond?
Fats, oils, waxes, and steroids all belong to this group.
What are lipids?
The three-letter suffix found at the end of many enzyme names, such as polymerase, lipase, and lactase, signifying their catalytic function.
What is -ase?
Organisms that produce their own food, such as plants.
What are producers (or autotrophs)?
This process breaks down a polymer by adding a water molecule.
What is hydrolysis?
This property allows a water strider (bug) to walk on the surface of a pond.
What is surface tension?
This three-letter suffix is used to denote most simple and complex sugars, giving us familiar words like glucose, fructose, and cellulose
What is -ose?
The two nucleic acids responsible for storing and transmitting genetic information.
What are DNA and RNA?
The percentage of energy typically transferred from one trophic level to the next.
What is 10 percent?
The chemical reaction that builds polymers by removing a water molecule.
What is dehydration synthesis?
Water's nickname because it dissolves many substances.
What is the universal solvent?
Because they contain twice the energy per gram compared to carbohydrates, this group of macromolecules is the body's primary choice for cushioning organs and storing long-term energy.
What are lipids?
This specific nitrogenous base forms a stable bond when pairing with Cytosine in DNA.
What is Guanine?
A species that has a very large effect on its natural environment and other species
What is a keystone species?
Nitrogen is a key element found in these two macromolecule types, but not in carbohydrates or lipids.
What are proteins and nucleic acids?
The process where water absorbs a large amount of heat before changing temperature, helping to moderate Earth's climate.
What is high specific heat?
The primary type of lipid that makes up cell membranes (it has a hydrophilic head and two hydrophobic tails).
What is a phospholipid?
In DNA, this specific nitrogenous base always pairs with Thymine, forming one of the key rungs on the twisted ladder
What is Adenine?
A non-native species introduced to an ecosystem that causes harm to the environment.
What is an invasive species?