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 entropy must increase with time.
B)The complexity is actually associated with greater disorder than the level of disorder associated with the organism at early stages of development.
C)As a consequence of growing,organisms cause a greater increase in entropy in their environment than the decrease in entropy associated with their growth.
D)Living organisms are able to transform energy into entropy.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The second law of thermodynamics states that entropy in a closed system will tend to increase over time. While living organisms do undergo increases in complexity as they grow, this results in a decrease in entropy within the organism itself. However, the process of growth and metabolism also generates heat and waste products, which contribute to an overall increase in entropy in the organism's surroundings. Therefore, the overall effect is an increase in entropy, consistent with the second law.

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