why is energy important to living organisms
Energy and Metabolism. All living organisms need energy to grow and reproduce, maintain their structures, and respond to their environments. Metabolism is the set of life-sustaining chemical processes that enables organisms transform the chemical energy stored in molecules into energy that can be used for cellular processes.
Metabolism is a combination of chemical reactions that are spontaneous and release energy and chemical reactions that are non-spontaneous and require energy in order to proceed. Living organisms must take in energy via food, nutrients, or sunlight in order to carry out cellular processes.