Bioenergtics

Energy is required to do work. All living beings work to maintain their life processes; hence they require energy. Main source of energy is sun. Only green plants are capable of trapping the solar energy by the process of photosynthesis. By photosynthesis, solar energy is converted into chemical energy, which is stored in plants as food. The food chain in ecosystems, transfer that energy from plants to other animals. Bioenergetics deals with the study of different forms of energy that maintains the ecosystems on earth.

Chief forms of energy

• Radiant Energy: It is the solar energy that travels in form of radiation. Part of this energy is visible range of light energy. Light energy is readily converted into heat energy.
• Chemical energy: Chlorophyll of green plants take the light energy and by the process of photosynthesis, convert it into chemical energy (chemical bonds of organic compounds like glucose), which is stored as food.
• Heat energy: Light energy is readily converted into heat energy
• Mechanical energy: It is of two forms - potential energy, which remains stored in the body and kinetic energy, that is the free form of energy utilized during the activities of the body.

Bioenergetics

Bioenergetics deals with

• quantity of energy reaching an ecosystem per unit area
• quantity of energy trapped and converted into chemical energy by green plants
• quantity and path of energy flow from green plants (producers) to other organisms (consumers) of different trophic levels over a period of time in a particular area.

At successive stages from producers to consumers loss of energy takes place (e.g., through respiration), which leads to decrease in availability of energy. One of the main concept of bioenergetics is in an ecosystem, energy flows in one direction only unlike the materials like carbon nitrogen etc., that are used in cyclic process repeatedly by the ecosystem.

Energy crisis

All living beings on earth are dependent for their energy on green plants that can trap a finite amount of solar energy. Cutting down of trees and forests by man is decreasing that energy considerably. Man is also diverting most of this fixed solar energy for the use of man only. This is leading to damage the natural ecosystems on earth. It is just like a man spending out the hereditary property without earning a single penny, which means starvation and death.