Question

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?

○ living organisms do not obey the second law of thermodynamics, which states that entropy must increase with time.

○ the complexity is actually associated with greater disorder than the level of disorder associated with the organism at early stages of development.

○ as a consequence of growing, organisms cause a greater increase in entropy in their environment than the decrease in entropy associated with their growth.

○ living organisms are able to transform energy into entropy.

Explanation:

The second law of thermodynamics states that the total entropy of an isolated system (the universe) always increases over time. Living organisms are not isolated systems. When an organism grows (resulting in a decrease in its own entropy), it interacts with its environment. It consumes energy (e.g., food), and in the process of metabolism and growth, it releases heat and waste products. The heat and waste increase the entropy of the environment. The increase in environmental entropy due to the organism's activities is greater than the decrease in the organism's entropy.

Answer:

As a consequence of growing, organisms cause a greater increase in entropy in their environment than the decrease in entropy associated with their growth.