* First Law of Thermodynamics (Conservation of Energy): This law states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transferred or transformed. Organisms take in energy from their environment (e.g., sunlight for plants, food for animals) and use it to perform various functions. This energy is transformed into different forms, such as chemical energy stored in bonds of molecules or mechanical energy used for movement. The total energy remains constant, it just changes form.
* Second Law of Thermodynamics (Entropy): This law states that the entropy (disorder) of a closed system always increases. Organisms are not closed systems; they exchange energy and matter with their environment. By taking in energy, they create order within themselves (e.g., building complex molecules) while increasing the entropy of their surroundings (e.g., releasing heat and waste products). The overall entropy of the universe still increases.
So, how can organisms appear to "defy" entropy?
It's a matter of perspective. While organisms create order within themselves, they do so at the expense of increasing disorder in their surroundings. They import energy, allowing them to locally decrease entropy, but this process increases entropy elsewhere.
An Example:
* A plant uses sunlight to create sugars (order). This process releases heat and oxygen (disorder), which increases the entropy of the environment.
* An animal eats food (order) and breaks it down into smaller molecules (disorder), releasing heat and waste products (more disorder).
Key takeaway: Organisms are not exempt from the laws of thermodynamics. They cleverly use these laws to maintain life and carry out essential functions, all while contributing to the overall increase in entropy of the universe.
