Com/155 Final
Compare and Contrasting Plants and Animals
Man has come a long way from the caveman days and so has our understanding of the world around us. Humans have always used plants and animals in one capacity or another, yet when a person thinks of the phrase 'plants and animals', they automatically begin thinking about the differences between the two. Well I say that plants and animals have been known far too long for their differences. And as different as they seem, plants and animals are very similar in the following areas: reproduction, human uses, and the requirement of water. Even though plants and animals can be distinguished from one another, evolution has bridged the gap between the two more than most people realize. All organisms need to reproduce for the continuation of their species. Otherwise, that species would die off. Just like animals, plants are characterized by sexual reproduction, with new organisms being formed from the union of sex cells. While it cannot be said that plants have separate sexes in the same way that animals do, they do form gametes just like animals. Two sperm cells are involved in the fertilization process with plants; one sperm cell combines with the egg cell and the other becomes the seed. In the process of fertilization with animals only one sperm fertilizes the female egg and it occurs in the fallopian tube of the female reproductive tract. Life for a new plant begins when it germinates from the seed. Part of the maturation occurs while in the embryonic stage, and the remainder occurs after birth and germination. Life for an animal begins when exiting the mother's womb or from an egg. In both cases, birth is experienced; however, with plants the process is called mitosis and with animals it is called meiosis. In plants gametes are not produced directly, they have an extra step in which meiosis produces spores. Plants and animals are becoming known more and more for their vital human usage in many areas, such as
Man has come a long way from the caveman days and so has our understanding of the world around us. Humans have always used plants and animals in one capacity or another, yet when a person thinks of the phrase 'plants and animals', they automatically begin thinking about the differences between the two. Well I say that plants and animals have been known far too long for their differences. And as different as they seem, plants and animals are very similar in the following areas: reproduction, human uses, and the requirement of water. Even though plants and animals can be distinguished from one another, evolution has bridged the gap between the two more than most people realize. All organisms need to reproduce for the continuation of their species. Otherwise, that species would die off. Just like animals, plants are characterized by sexual reproduction, with new organisms being formed from the union of sex cells. While it cannot be said that plants have separate sexes in the same way that animals do, they do form gametes just like animals. Two sperm cells are involved in the fertilization process with plants; one sperm cell combines with the egg cell and the other becomes the seed. In the process of fertilization with animals only one sperm fertilizes the female egg and it occurs in the fallopian tube of the female reproductive tract. Life for a new plant begins when it germinates from the seed. Part of the maturation occurs while in the embryonic stage, and the remainder occurs after birth and germination. Life for an animal begins when exiting the mother's womb or from an egg. In both cases, birth is experienced; however, with plants the process is called mitosis and with animals it is called meiosis. In plants gametes are not produced directly, they have an extra step in which meiosis produces spores. Plants and animals are becoming known more and more for their vital human usage in many areas, such as