Which of the Following Statements About Energy is Most Accurate

Question

Which of the following statements about energy is most accurate?
A) Plants reduce the amount of total energy in a system during the conversion of energy from solar to chemical forms.
B) The total amount of energy in an ecosystem changes during the process of photosynthesis and respiration as matter is lost.
C) The amount of energy stored in organic molecules must equal the total solar energy intercepted by the plant minus the amounts reflected and dissipated as heat.
D) Energy can be created, but not destroyed.

Accepted Answer

The law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. Plants convert solar energy into chemical energy through photosynthesis, but not all solar energy is captured efficiently; some is reflected or lost as heat. This makes option C the most accurate, as it acknowledges the inefficiencies in energy conversion processes.