lipids
The release of energy in plants and animals is called respiration.
So Easy...Its ATP
Lipids, such as fats and oils, are highly efficient at storing energy because they have a high energy density. Each gram of lipid contains more energy than carbohydrates or proteins. This makes lipids an excellent form of long-term energy storage in the body.
Animals obtain their energy and carbon from consuming other living organisms, such as plants or other animals. They break down these organic molecules through digestion to extract the energy and carbon they need for their own growth, metabolism, and reproduction.
Animals obtain energy primarily from the food they consume, which contains organic molecules like carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. When animals eat, their bodies break down these molecules through a process called cellular respiration, converting them into usable energy in the form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). This energy fuels various biological processes, including movement, growth, and reproduction. Additionally, some animals may also derive energy from stored fat reserves during periods of food scarcity.
Lipids
As they store a lot more energy, weight for weight.
Different reactions have different metabolites which may act as energy storing molecules. For instance, in glycolysis, fructose-1,6-bisphosphate and phosphoenolpyruvate represent just two of the main energy storing molecules.
The mitochondria in a cell produce energy, but extra energy from food is transformed into fat and put into special fat storing cells to be accessed later.
Glycogen
Life is powered by sunlight. The energy used by most living cells comes ultimately from the sun. Plants, algae, and some bacteria use energy from sunlight, particularly blue and red wavelengths, to build molecules which later can be split through cellular respiration to retrieve some of that energy. Storing energy in molecules and then oxidizing those molecules to retrieve the stored energy maintains all life on Earth. Plants are often called ‘producers’ because they produce energy-storing molecules used by almost all other organisms on Earth. By eating plants, herbivores ‘steal’ these energy-storing molecules to maintain their own life processes. By eating animals, carnivores ‘plunder’ the molecules that store the energy oringinally captured by plants. By feeding on dead tissue, decomposers exploit whatever molecules remain in the dead the plants, herbivores, and carnivores. Ultimately, the process of photosynthesis is the most important chemical reaction on Earth.
Animals use mitochondria to break down food molecules through a process called cellular respiration. During this process, glucose and oxygen are combined to produce ATP, which is the cell's main energy source.
No, animals do not perform photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is a process carried out by plants, algae, and some bacteria to produce energy from sunlight. Animals, on the other hand, rely on cellular respiration to produce energy by breaking down organic molecules such as glucose.
Carbohydrates and lipids are the two macromolecules responsible for storing and releasing energy in organisms. Carbohydrates are stored in the form of glycogen in animals and starch in plants, while lipids are stored as fats in adipose tissues. When needed, these molecules can be broken down through metabolic processes to release energy for cellular functions.
Lipids
Lipids, specifically triglycerides, provide long-term energy storage in the form of fat in animals and oils in plants. These molecules are highly efficient at storing energy because they contain more energy per gram than carbohydrates or proteins.
Lipids have around twice the energy density of carbohydrates, so they are a more efficient means of storage (i.e. only half the mass is needed to store an equivalent amount of energy).