However Plants differ from animals between characteristics of plants and animals

We have already studied that living things are divided into two main groups, that is plants and animals. Both these groups possess all the basic features of living things.  However, plants differ from animals in many respects which are as follows.

1. Movement

Animals, whether as big as an elephant, or as small as an ant, terrestrial or aquatic, move about freely from one place to another.  This movement is call locomotion.  On the other hand plants cannot change their position.  Though branches, roots and other parts of plant show different movement, but the plant as a whole remains fixed to a place throughout its life, after its emergence from the seed.

2. Growth

Visit your school garden with your teacher and observe different plants.  You will notice some new branches and a young leaves growing from the tips and new buds forming at the ends of new branches.  Similarly when you observe roots of a seeding your will see the roots growing at their tips.  Thus growth is a continuous process in the plants in which plants grow at their shoot tips and roots tips.

On the other hand growth occurs proportionally in all body parts of an animals and stops after a certain period.

3. Spread

When you look at plants you will notice that they have spreading bodies, their branches grow from the tips and spread in such a way that they occupy a large surface area.  Animals on the other hand have fat and squat bodies as their growth is proportional in different body parts, therefore they occupy less space growth is proportional in different body parts, therefore they occupy less space.

4. Nutrition

The basic difference between plants and animals lies in their mode of nutrition.  Plants can prepare their own food by process called photosynthesis.  This food is then utilized according to their need.

Photosynthesis is not possible in animals and hence they cannot prepare their food.  So they depend, for their food, on plants. Some animals eat plants as fodder, for example, cow, buffalo, goat etc.  Some birds, for example a sparrow, a parrot. eat fruit and seeds, while others eat flesh of other animals.  Man acquires his food from vegetables, cereals, fruits as well as meat.