HS+BIO+Life+Cycles+Lesson+2

In the previous lesson we discussed life cycles, can you share something you remember from the lesson? Do living things go through life cycles?

Today we will be discussing energy. We will talk about where energy comes from. We will also discuss the ways in which we use and transfer energy. We will round out the lesson with a brief review.

Energy is the ability to do work. You use energy to move, think, and even eat. You need energy to do anything. Energy is found in many different forms. Energy allows life to do what it is supposed to do.



Where does energy come from? The sun serves as the main source of energy for our planet and it changes into different forms.



Energy can transform, or change form, into different types, depending on how it is used.

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A law in science states that energy cannot be created or destroyed. This is called the law of conservation of energy. Each time energy changes form, some of it is given off as heat. Heat is a form of energy. During any energy transformation, not all of the energy will be able to be used in its new form.

On Earth, energy gets cycled through different forms. Different organisms have their own cycles they run through to do work.



A major job of all life forms is to grow. Growth is found at many different levels. One of the biggest parts of growth is the making of new life through reproduction.

All of these cycles use energy from different energy cycles to run. By growing, the smallest units of life, called cells, are able to carry out their job.



As cells grow, so do organisms.



As organisms grow, they can reproduce and start the cycles all over again in new organisms. This uniqueness in organisms is important for life to continue.