• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

difference between plants and animals?

D

dpopiz

Diamond Member
Is it really possible to make a distiction between the two that doesn't have any exceptions? Is it correct to say that plants don't feel pain when they're slaughtered and suffer in packed artificial farms?

Please no lame flamers here. As you can see I'm asking a valid question.
 
I'm sure there is. Not being a bio major I can't answer your question but I'm sure it has to do more with physical characteristics (DNA, bodily systems, a brain, etc.)
 
Nice question... like Lucius said, I think there are many physical differences, especially in how they work at the cell level (structure, organelles....etc)...

I think the greatest distinction would be the case for animal rights (we can get all philosophical here, but that?s not my point). The fact that we have laws that acknowledge and protect animal rights, we have veterinarians, and their bodies somewhat resemble ours, are arguments that ?demonstrate? some similarity between humans and animals? I don?t think you can make a case for similarities between plants and humans?.

Maybe the only difference is subjective? in our heads, based on what we deem as valuable and important, like the fact that it is more important (and more common) the bond that we can have with an animal than with a plant.

Among other things they are not from the same kingdom? they are different? not one more important than the other.. just different?.

Always remember.. fed your animals and water your plants?.
 
heh don't know the exact deffertiation. But I know bits and pieces such as planet cells have cell wall structure, a huge vacuole and a rigid structure
All planets take sunlight as energy source, even insect eaters such as venus fly trap. I don't know about mushrooms thouh 😛 Are they plants?

But nevertheless you will know whether something is a plant when you see it. In majority of regular people plants are something that grows but doesn't move 🙂 That's a good enough definition actually
 
Originally posted by: dpopiz
Is it really possible to make a distiction between the two that doesn't have any exceptions? Is it correct to say that plants don't feel pain when they're slaughtered and suffer in packed artificial farms?

Please no lame flamers here. As you can see I'm asking a valid question.
Click to expand...

Regarding pain, AFAIK, no plant has been shown to have neurons.

Immune systems in plants and animals are vastly different, but the plant systems aren't that well studied though from what I can tell. Needless to say they don't have B-cells, T-cells etc.

As for other differences, I don't believe any animal is known to use photosynthesis or has chloroplasts.

Plants cells also have cell walls, I don't think any animal cells do. Not quite so sure about that, there might be some oddities out there.

 
Originally posted by: AnnihilatorX
heh don't know the exact deffertiation. But I know bits and pieces such as planet cells have cell wall structure, a huge vacuole and a rigid structure
All planets take sunlight as energy source, even insect eaters such as venus fly trap. I don't know about mushrooms thouh 😛 Are they plants?

But nevertheless you will know whether something is a plant when you see it. In majority of regular people plants are something that grows but doesn't move 🙂 That's a good enough definition actually
Click to expand...


Mushrooms are fungi.
 
blablabla's post is kind of where I'm going with this. I think being a vegan is great and all, but what about the plants?!?!? : )..
I mean my case for veganism is that no other animal besides humans enslaves other animals in psychologically torturous conditions. In other words, I think if the other living creatures do it, and always have, then it must be "natural" and morally correct for humans to do it.

BUT...no other animal packs *plants* in factory farms and sprays them with harsh chemicals and fattens them up out of proportion with scientifically engineered nutrients either. So maybe plants you buy at the grocery have suffered as much as the animals you buy. Just a thought...
 
No other animal does it because no other animal has the ability to reason. Anatomically we're not especially strong or fast, have average sight and hearing, but have developed the most complicated neural structure of any organism on the planet. That means we've been able to figure out how to mass produce (among other things).

As for biological differences, they're vast, to say the least. First, plants don't have complex organ systems like animals do. At the cellular level, they produce energy by respiration of CO2 and trapping sunlight (chlorophyll being the molecule that does the dirty work), while animal cells respire O2 and create energy in mitochondria (which was likely a bacterium at some point, which was trapped and was obviously advantageous). Plants' lifecycles tend to vary more than animals as well. If you're still in college, take the intro level botany class for bio majors. Show up for lab. You'll learn a lot (I was a bio major for a couple of years before getting my degree in economics).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top