BIOL 1500 Chapter 4: BIOL1500Chapter FoChapter Fourur CHAPTER FOUR TEXTBOOK NOTES.docx
Document Summary
Animal fats and oils in plants share features with gasoline: fats and oils, like gas, contain chains of carbon and hydrogen atoms bound together. Breaking these bonds releases large amounts of energy (and water and co2) and if captured efficiently, it too can be used to push pistons and turn car wheels. Energy is the capacity to do work. Water behind a dam has potential energy. If the hole in the dam is opened, it can power a turbine for example. Concentration gradient if molecules in a high concentration gradient move toward lower concentration, the potential energy of the gradient is converted to the kinetic energy of a molecular movement. Chemical energy: the storage of energy in chemical bonds, is a type of potential energy food is a form of chemical energy. 4. 3 less than 1% of energy from the sun is captured and transformed into usable chemical energy through photosynthesis. 30% is absorbed by land, oceans, and atmosphere.
