Name and Describe the Characteristics That Can Be Used to Uniquely Identify Plants. Compare and Contrast with the Characteristics That Are Used to Uniquely Identify Animals. It Is an Accepted Principle of Biology That
Characteristics that uniquely identify plants: they are autotrophic, non-motile, they are photosynthetic, contain chloroplast, perform alternation of generations, plants are deciduous or evergreen, and the type of leaf and stem structure they have (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_characteristics_do_all_plants_share).
Most plants are autotrophic, meaning they are capable of producing their own food and nutrients themselves, synthesizing their own food from inorganic substances, by using light or chemical energy. Plants are also non-motile, which is very limiting because they cannot move themselves if living conditions change to being unfavorable. Plants are dependent on photosynthesis for survival, to help them with the process of transpiration. Under a microscope we can see that plant cells have cell walls that are filled with chloroplast and chlorophyll, which is the method for gaining nutrients and performing transpiration. Plants are also identified by their ability to carry out alternation of generations, which means that plants are capable of performing both mitosis and meiosis in order to reproduce sexually (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternation_of_generations
). Another way to identify plants is if they are deciduous or evergreen, and what the leaf pattern looks like. Netted or parallel leaves can identify the type of plant, and whether they are monocot or dicot.
Leaf structure is used to uniquely identify plants. Leaves can be netted or branched, or they can show parallel venation. Stem structure is also important in identifying plants. Dicots, monocots, ferns, and gymnosperms can all be identified by their stem structure. If a tree or shrub loses its leaves in the cold months of the year, it is considered deciduous and then can also be classified as a dicot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_stem).
Animals are classified by their unique makeup as well. There are warm blooded and cold-blooded animals, animals with hair, scales, and fins, as
Most plants are autotrophic, meaning they are capable of producing their own food and nutrients themselves, synthesizing their own food from inorganic substances, by using light or chemical energy. Plants are also non-motile, which is very limiting because they cannot move themselves if living conditions change to being unfavorable. Plants are dependent on photosynthesis for survival, to help them with the process of transpiration. Under a microscope we can see that plant cells have cell walls that are filled with chloroplast and chlorophyll, which is the method for gaining nutrients and performing transpiration. Plants are also identified by their ability to carry out alternation of generations, which means that plants are capable of performing both mitosis and meiosis in order to reproduce sexually (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternation_of_generations
). Another way to identify plants is if they are deciduous or evergreen, and what the leaf pattern looks like. Netted or parallel leaves can identify the type of plant, and whether they are monocot or dicot.
Leaf structure is used to uniquely identify plants. Leaves can be netted or branched, or they can show parallel venation. Stem structure is also important in identifying plants. Dicots, monocots, ferns, and gymnosperms can all be identified by their stem structure. If a tree or shrub loses its leaves in the cold months of the year, it is considered deciduous and then can also be classified as a dicot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_stem).
Animals are classified by their unique makeup as well. There are warm blooded and cold-blooded animals, animals with hair, scales, and fins, as