Organism energetics review (chapter 40)

1. All organisms spend energy on three basic needs:

Homeostasis, biosynthesis, and production of ATP.

These are like “buckets” where organisms invest their energy

2. What do different types of organisms do with “extra” energy that they do not need to spend
in the short-term? Discuss different types of energy storage molecules of plants and animals.
They store it so they can use it later. Some plants store it in the form of starch, and some
plants store it in the form of fat, and glucose which they make through biosynthesis.

3. What happens to organisms who constantly run a deficit (spending more energy than they
take in)?

They will make energy from the starch or cellulose stored. Eventually they will not have
enough energy to run cellular processes and maintain homeostasis and die.

4. What are some adaptive strategies for conserving energy expense in different species
(remember, “adaptive” means that these organisms reproduced offspring more successfully
because they had more energy for reproduction).

Negative feedback so more energy than is needed is not used.

Gene regulation to make sure energy is not wasted trying to transcribe/translate genes, so it is
just turned off. Many plants lose leaves to stop photosynthesis, and many animals go through
estivation and hibernation and slow their metabolic rate.

5. Which temperature regulation strategy requires more energy expenditure to maintain

homeostasis – ectothermy or endothermy?
Endotherm, because endotherms have to adjust to their environment which means they need
more energy use more energy and produce more waste.

6. What are the advantages of the strategy in #5 above that spends more energy (it better have
advantages or these organisms would not have out survived and out reproduced the other
type)?
The advantages are that endotherms can adjust to their environment and survive extremem
temperatures, where as ectotherms have to move to maintain a stable body temperature which
is not always possible.

7. How do organisms thermoregulate?

 Organisms thermoregulate by sweating, insulation, circulatory adaptions when blood moves
near the skin, moving areas and behavioral changes, as well as blood vessels in the skin
constricting or expanding, and shivering.