Unit 2 Learning Journal – Part 1 Answer:

We know that a macromolecule is a product of some smaller molecules, and these smaller molecules
play an essential role in the structure and function of a cell. Most of the biological molecules surrounded
by us are polymers formed based on the linkup of enormous smaller monomers. Lipids, Carbohydrates,
nucleic acids, and proteins are the four major groups of macromolecules.

1. Carbohydrates:
One of the essential parts of our daily diet comes from Carbohydrates as it is the energy source.
Monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides are three types of carbohydrates.
According to Molnar & Glair, A large portion of plant cell walls are composed of cellulose, and it
serves as the foundational support for the cell. For instance, paper and wood are mostly
cellulose in nature. Cellhouse gets its strength and firmness from β1-4 glycosidic chain bonds,
and this strength is a crucial function for any cell house to provide foundational support. The
formula is (C6H10O5)n (Clark, Choi & Douglas, 2020).

2. Lipid:
According to Molnar and Glair, a lipid is a macromolecule that contains several compounds like
fat, hormones, oil & other membrane components, and water that can not be soluble in them
and a chain of fatty acids attached to glycerol or another similar backbone. The reason is that
this type of hydrocarbon contains nonpolar carbon-carbon or carbon-hydrogen bonds. In every
cell of plants, lipid plays many roles. Energy is stored in a plant cell in the form of lipids for long-
term usage, and lipids also serve as insulation from the environment for animals and plants.
(Clark, Choi & Douglas, 2020).

3. Protein:
Protein is a part of the micronutrient and consists of monomer amino acids. Based on Molnar
and Glair's research, living cells produce the enzyme that catalysts in reactions with
biochemical. For instance, the digestion process. Every single amino acid contains a similar
structure and is made up of a core carbon atom and also by alpha carbon as well and connected
with the (NH2) amino group, (COOH) carboxyl group & a hydrogen atom. Also, insulin which
consists of the beta cell of the pancreatic islets, regulates the metabolism process with two
peptide chains, A and B chains where chain A holds 21 amino acids, and chain B contains 30
amino acids, and both are linked by two disulfides bonds (OpenStax College, 2018)
 4. Nucleic Acid:
Nucleic acid is a type of macromolecule that is best known for storing the main information
(DNA & RNA) of a cell which consists of nucleotides. Nucleic acid is a type of molecule made up
of repeating units of nucleotides that directly interact with cell division & also with the
synthesis of protein. A polynucleotide is produced when the nucleotides join together, like DNA
or RNA, and they are two main classes of nucleic acids (OpenStax College, 2018). There are 3
main components that comprise every nucleotide such as a pentose sugar (5-carbon), a
nitrogenous base, and a phosphate group and the formula is C15 H31 N3O13F. (Clark, Choi &
Douglas, 2020).

References:

Molnar, C. and Glair, J. (2015). Concepts of Biology – 1st Canadian Edition

https://opentextbc.ca/biology/

Clark, M.A, Choi, J. & Douglas, M. (January 18, 2020). Biology 2e.
OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/preface

OpenStax College (2018). Biology. OpenStax.

https://my.uopeople.edu/pluginfile.php/1015433/mod_page/content/20/BioTextbookCh1-
10.pdf

Unit 2 Learning Journal – Crossword Answer is on next page

Unit 2 Learning Journal – Crossword Answer:

1E 2M
E N Z Y M E
O
N
O
5G
3B 4C
G
S M C
E E E L
8C
7L
6G C A
L Y C E R O L R B O N Y L
I O L C
10C
9F
C
P N F R U C T O S E O
11P
I D L P L A N S
12
A 13D
D A M I N O A C I D R I
R S E B D
14P 15D

Y E B H O S P H O L I P I D
X H C E
16P
P
Y Y H
17S
S A T U R A T E D Y U
I R D R
18U
U R A L
B A C I
O T A N
S E T E

19P
E P E P T I D E
O
20T
T W E N T Y