Biology of Plants
Biology of Plants
8th Edition
ISBN: 9781429219617
Author: Evert, Ray F./
Publisher: Macmillan Higher Education
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Chapter 5, Problem 1CP
Summary Introduction

To explain: The first and second laws of thermodynamics and the way in which they relate to living organisms.

Introduction: Thermodynamics is the study of energy and its transformations that drive all activities of the universe. The system that does not exchange energy with its surroundings is known as a closed system. The system that exchanges energy with its surroundings is known as an open system. There are two laws of thermodynamics, namely, the first law and the second law.

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First law of thermodynamics: The first law of thermodynamics states that “energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be transformed from one form to another form”. This law explains that organisms cannot produce energy; however, they constantly capture energy from their surrounding as open systems and covert this energy from one form to another form for biological work.

Second law of thermodynamics: The second law of thermodynamics states that “no energy transfer is 100% efficient, some energy is dispersed as heat”. In a living system such as in a cell, the second law of thermodynamic states that the capture and storage or use of energy is never 100% by living cells. The energy is lost as disordered and metabolic heat energy. For example, in a cell, energy is stored in glucose. During cellular respiration, energy is released from the bonds of glucose and transformed into adenosine triphosphate (ATP) during which some energy is lost to the surroundings in the form of heat.

According to this law, entropy in the universe is continuously increasing. Organisms have a high degree of organization. The degree of organization seems to increase as organisms grow and develop. However, all living organisms are open systems; they maintain their ordered states over time with a constant input of energy and mass (as food) from their surroundings. They also keep losing energy from their bodies through heat loss and waste elimination.

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