Polysaccharides are primarily formed from which biological units?

Polysaccharides are large carbohydrates that consist of long chains of sugar units, specifically monosaccharides, which are their fundamental building blocks. The process of polymerization links these monosaccharides through glycosidic bonds to create complex carbohydrates such as starch, glycogen, and cellulose.

Monosaccharides, such as glucose and fructose, can join together in various configurations and lengths to form the diverse range of polysaccharides found in nature. This functional versatility allows polysaccharides to serve important roles in energy storage, structural components, and cell recognition.

In contrast, the other biological units listed, fatty acids, amino acids, and nucleotide monomers, do not form polysaccharides. Fatty acids are used to build lipids, amino acids comprise proteins, and nucleotides are the building blocks of nucleic acids like DNA and RNA.