Living organisms increase in complexity as they grow, resulting in a decrease in the entropy of an organism. How does this relate to the second law of thermodynamics?
A) Living organisms do not obey the second law of thermodynamics, which states that the entropy of an organism increases with each energy transformation.
B) The decrease in entropy is associated with growth of an organism. As a consequence of growth, organisms cause a greater increase in entropy in their environment than the decrease in entropy associated with their increased complexity.
C) As a consequence of growth, the decrease in entropy of the organism is associated with a corresponding decrease in the entropy of the universe.
D) Living organisms are able to transform chemical energy into entropy.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of an isolated system will always increase over time. However, living organisms are not isolated systems and can decrease their own entropy by increasing in complexity through growth. This decrease in entropy is offset by an increase in entropy in their environment as they consume energy and produce waste.

Living Organisms Increase in Complexity as They Grow, Resulting in a Decrease