Differences Between Animals and Plants

Expanded Explanation:

1. Mode of Nutrition:
   • Plants: Autotrophic organisms, meaning they produce their own food through photosynthesis using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.
   • Animals: Heterotrophic organisms, meaning they rely on consuming other organisms for food. Some, like Euglena, can be mixotrophic, combining autotrophic and heterotrophic modes.
2. Presence of Plastids:
   • Plants: Contain plastids, such as chloroplasts, which are essential for photosynthesis.
   • Animals: Lack plastids.
3. Food Search:
   • Plants: Do not actively search for food. They absorb water and minerals from the soil through osmosis.
   • Animals: Actively search for and consume food.
4. Role in Food Chain:
   • Plants: Serve as producers, forming the base of the food chain by producing energy-rich compounds.
   • Animals: Serve as consumers, feeding on plants or other animals.
5. Ability to Move:
   • Plants: Generally immobile and attached to the substrate. They exhibit growth and turgor movements.
   • Animals: Actively move using various mechanisms such as amoeboid, ciliary, and muscular movements. Some animals, like corals, are sessile.
6. Growth Ability:
   • Plants: Continue to grow throughout their life due to the presence of meristematic tissues.
   • Animals: Most animals grow only during their juvenile stages and stop growing once they reach adulthood.
7. Cellulose Cell Wall:
   • Plants: Have a rigid cell wall made of cellulose, providing structural support.
   • Animals: Lack a cell wall; their cells are surrounded by a flexible plasma membrane.
8. Cell Sap:
   • Plants: Contain vacuoles filled with cell sap, which helps maintain cell turgor and stores nutrients.
   • Animals: Do not have vacuoles filled with cell sap.
9. Mineral Salts in Cytoplasm:
   • Plants: Mineral salts can be found in the form of crystals within the cytoplasm.
   • Animals: Mineral salts are dissolved in the cytoplasm.
10. Storage Carbohydrate:
    • Plants: Store carbohydrates in the form of starch.
    • Animals: Store carbohydrates in the form of glycogen.
11. Reactions to External Stimuli:
    • Plants: Respond to stimuli through tropisms (directional growth responses) and nastic movements (non-directional responses).
    • Animals: Respond to stimuli through taxis (movement towards or away from stimuli) and reflexes.
12. Tissues:
    • Plants: Have specialized tissues such as dermal, meristematic, ground, vascular, mechanical, and storage tissues.
    • Animals: Have specialized tissues such as epithelial, connective, muscular, and nervous tissues.