Polysaccharides (Complex carbohydrates)
Dm, Am, G
long chains of several hundred or thousand monosaccharides held together by 1-4 or 1-6 glycosidic linkages.
functions: energy storage(ex. Starch and glycogen) and alpha structural support( ex. cellulose and chitin).
(F#m, C, F on fret 3, F on fret 5)
starch is made up of 2 polysaccharides: amylose and amylopectin see fig. 9 on pg. 31).
F#m, G,D, A
Amylose is a coiled chain of unbranched alpha glucose held together alpha 1-4 glycosidic linkages. (See Fig 11a on pg. 32)
Amylopectin is composed of a main chain of linked alpha glucose attached by alpha 1-4 glycosidic bonds and branch points formed by alpha 1-6 glycosidic linkages. Plants store starch in chloroplasts, amyloplasts and other plastids.
Dm, Am, G
Storage form of glucose in animals is glycogen. Glycogen is structurally similar to amylopectin, however, the alpha 1-6 branch points are shorter and more frequent which results in a molecule that is highly branched.
F#m, C, F on fret 3, F on fret 5)
Humans store glycogen in the liver cells and the muscles. Enzymes in these tissues hydrolyze glycogen into single glucose molecules
F#m, C, G, D
for energy during physical activity.
Cellulose is a major structural component of the plant cell wall. It is the most abundant organic substance of earth. It is a straight chain polymer. of B-Glucose held together. by B 1-4 glycosidic linkages.
F#m, G, Am, C
In order for a reaction to occur between the hydroxyl groups on the carbon numbers 1 and 4, every other B-Glucose must be inverted. Humans do not have the enzyme to hydrolyses the B(1-4) glycosidic linkage, therefore cannot obtain energy from cellulose.
Chitin is a polymer of N-acetylglucosamine which makes up the hard exoskeletons of insects and crustaceans.
Coprophage
-eat their own poop to absorb missed nutrients
-had pelts during the day that are hard, and have soft ones at night which are edible to reabsorb the nutrients.