Life

Still but vital

If we look at the way plants feed themselves, we can understand the reason of the specific distinguishing features of this kingdom. Plants are actually motionless, often cover large areas, both in the air (with their branches and leaves) and underground (with their roots), sometimes have no specific growth limit and are very adaptable to external stimuli. Plants are motionless because their food is rather evenly contained in the atmosphere (carbon dioxide), soil and water (inorganic ions), so they do not need to move. It is just for this reason, that they cannot move, that plants have become extremely adaptable to external living conditions; in addition, since plants take in nutrients through their leaves and roots, the larger the surface of contact between the plant and the environment (and therefore the area covered), the more the nutrients it can take in to grow. And this is the reason why plants, unlike man or animals, tend to grow bigger and bigger without a specific time limit (a property called “indefinite growth”).