Respiration+-+Topic+Essential+Questions

Energy is needed for the building up of matter. (e.g. during respiration, energy is produced so that protein can be built from amino acids)
 * 1. What is the relationship between energy and matter?**

Energy is needed for important processes such as respiration, which in turns helps in building protein from amino acids, which are used to make muscle.
 * 2. How is energy significant to biological system?**

No. It may have special adaptations which minimize the exchange of matter so as to adapt to the environment (such as reducing water loss in the dessert so that intake of water may be lessened), but it cannot survive completely without the exchange of matter with its environment. This is because there is a need to exchange important matter with the environment such as oxygen and water so as to ensure important processes can be carried out.
 * 3. Can an organism survive without the exchange of matter with its environment?**

Not all matters are living - e.g. air and water. However, all living organisms are made of matter, e.g. all the atoms and water found in our body.
 * 4. Are all matters living and all living organisms made of matter?**

No. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed.
 * 5. Can living organisms create and destroy energy?**

Matter cannot be created (from nothing). Matter can only be __built__ (e.g. muscles are built from amino acids).
 * 6. Can living organisms create and destroy matter?**