Question

What is the role of lipids in organisms?

Answer 1

Lipids store energy, insulate heat, provide padding for organs, make up cell membranes, and can be chemical messengers such as steroids.

Explanation:

Lipids are usually known as fats, oils, and waxes. They are insoluble in water, hydrophobic and non-polar.

Lipids store its energy in forms of triglycerides. Unlike carbohydrates, lipids can provide energy at a steady pace whereas carbohydrates releases all its energy at once.

Lipids such as blubber provide insulation for animals, this is to prevent a major difference in the internal and external temperatures.

Cell membranes are made of phospholipids, this type of lipid has a polar end because of the phosphate group while the fatty acid on the other is non-polar. In the presence of water, phospholipids will arrange themselves in a micelle structure

or a phospolipid bi-layer.

Steroids are chemical messengers for the body, an example of this would be hormones. All steroids are derived from cholesterol, cholesterol makes up critical components of cell membranes and have various affects on cells, tissues, and organs.

However, cholesterol can silently build up in arteries and can cause heart failures without warning, which is why many steroids are adding a "cholesterol-free" option.