Macromolecules - AP Biology

Starch is a storage polysaccharide in plants. It is a polymer consisting solely of glucose. Glucose is a source of fuel for cells; therefore, starch is stored for energy.

Starch is a storage polysaccharide in plants. It is a polymer consisting solely of glucose. Glucose is a source of fuel for cells; therefore, starch is stored for energy.

Glycogen is a polysaccharide used as energy storage in animals. Glycogen is a polymer made up of glucose units and undergoes hydrolysis to release glucose when demand for sugar increases.

The polysaccharide cellulose is a major component of plant cell walls. Similar to starch, cellulose is made up of glucose though the linkages in the polymers are different.

Starch, cellulose and glycogen are all made up of units of glucose; however, their overall structures and configurations differ.

Chitin is a structural polysaccharide used by arthropods to build their exoskeletons. Chitin is also found in fungi as well. Cellulose is the structural component found in the cell walls of plants.

Arthropods use the polysaccharide chitin to build their exoskeletons. Certain types of fungi also use chitin instead of cellulose for building their cell walls.

Chitin is a structural polysaccharide used by arthropods to build their exoskeletons. Chitin is also found in fungi as well. Cellulose is the structural component found in the cell walls of plants.

Arthropods use the polysaccharide chitin to build their exoskeletons. Certain types of fungi also use chitin instead of cellulose for building their cell walls.

Body fat, also known as triglycerides or triacylglycerols have three fatty acid chains. These hydrocarbon tails are hydrophobic, and they are each attached to the glycerol head, which is hydrophilic via ester linkages. Adipose tissue is a type of connective tissue that plays a structural and protective role, provides stored energy, and helps regulate body temperature.

A fat is a lipid with three fatty chains linked by an ester linkage to glycerol.

A fatty acid consists of a hydrocarbon chain (carbons bound to hydrogen), with even numbers of carbons from 4 to 28, and a carboxyl group at one end. A triglyceride consists of three fatty acids with their carboxyl end bound to glycerol via an ester bond.

Proteins consist of the elements nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They are polymers of molecules called amino acids. Lipids are made up of glycerol and fatty acid chains.

All amino acids have an amino group and a carboxyl group. Amino acids do not have glycerol. The side chain called an R-group is what differentiates amino acids from each other in their chemical properties and functions.

Chitin is a type of polysaccharide that is present in the exoskeletons of arthropods, and is the primary substance of the cell wall of fungi. In general, polysaccharides are chains of simple sugars. Another example of a polysaccharide is starch. Waxes are types of lipids. Hemoglobin is a protein, which is made of amino acids. DNA is a nucleic acid, which is a polymer of nucleotides.

Lipids are a large class of hydrocarbon-based molecules that includes waxes, steroids, phospholipids and fats. Lipids are hydrophobic and have functions in energy storage, providing support to the cell/organism, cell signaling, and make up the majority of the cell membrane.

Chitin is a structural polysaccharide used by arthropods to build their exoskeletons. Chitin is also found in fungi as well. Cellulose is the structural component found in the cell walls of plants.

A saturated fat contains no double bonds in its fatty acid chain. Just remember that saturated means the fat is saturated with hydrogens. Double bonds eliminate two hydrogen atoms per occurrence, and are present in unsaturated fats.

An amino acid is the monomer unit of the polymer known as a polypeptide. Polypeptide chains form the primary structure of proteins.

A monosaccharide is the simplest unit of a carbohydrate; a monosaccharide dimer is a disaccharide. Triglycerides are a simple form of lipid and nucleic acids are primarily composed of nucleotide monomers.