Final answer:
The correct statements that describe aspects of energy in living organisms are that they can convert energy, use it to do work, and expend energy to decrease their entropy. This ties into the laws of thermodynamics and the fact that organisms are open systems engaging in energy exchange with their environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct answer to the question is option e: A, B, and C. Living organisms can indeed convert energy among several different forms, such as chemical energy in sugars into energy within ATP molecules. They absolutely can use energy to do work, like building complex molecules and moving substances across cell membranes. Additionally, organisms expend energy to maintain their highly ordered state, effectively acting against the natural trend towards increased entropy, which is a measure of disorder, in isolated systems. This process increases the entropy of the organism's surroundings.
Biological organisms are open systems, meaning energy is exchanged between them and their surroundings as they utilize or convert energy. The laws of thermodynamics govern these energy transformations, dictating that while energy can change form, it can't be created or destroyed, and that every energy transfer leads to greater disorder in the universe, which corresponds to increased entropy.