How animals differ from plants: main features

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:54

Despite the fact that biologists managed to distinguish the global kingdoms of plants and animals many centuries ago, it is still quite difficult to draw a clear line between them. Nevertheless, the first attempts to derive the basic qualities of a plant and animal organism were made by Carl Linnaeus. Today, the experience gained by researchers around the world has made it possible to formulate the main theses explaining how animals differ from plants.

Cytological level

How are animals different from plants in the first place? Arguing about the structure of plant and animal cells, it is worth noting that they have a similar structure and functions. Each living cell contains a nucleus that carries hereditary information, as well as coordinating the life support processes of the cell; a membrane that limits the cell space and performs protective functions; cytoplasm, which fills the space between them and is responsible for the transport of necessary substances. However, there are significant differences between plant and animal cells. The cytoplasm of a plant cell contains plastids, which includeChlorophyll is a substance that gives color to the green parts of plants and is involved in the processes of photosynthesis. The plant cell is also distinguished by the presence of a rigid cell wall, which allows it to retain its shape and show resistance to deformation. In turn, the animal cell has centrioles located in the cytoplasm and playing an important role in the process of mitosis.

Activity of living organisms

Another difference between animals and plants lies in the activity exhibited by organisms. The activity of animal organisms in search of food and adaptation to the environment remains consistently high throughout their life, only slightly decreasing and reaching a peak value at certain periods. Plant activity is much lower. The motor activity of a plant includes only forced tropisms carried out under the influence of external factors (sunlight, gravity of the earth, etc.).

Methods of feeding organisms

The essential difference between plants and animals also affects their way of eating. Being autotrophic organisms, plants are able to independently produce organic substances from inorganic ones. Animals, on the other hand, are heterotrophic organisms, the distinguishing feature of which is the ability to absorb ready-made organic substances and the inability to become a producer of organic substances from inorganic ones.

Types of growth of organisms

Considering what animals aredifferent from plants, one cannot but touch upon the problem of the growth of organisms. Plant growth is continuous and relatively uniform throughout the entire period of its life. The growth of the animal organism is carried out exclusively within certain periods and this happens extremely unevenly, reaching a peak value and practically fading at one time or another. However, even considering how animals differ from plants, we cannot draw the most clear line between these categories.