Exemplar Problems

Question:

Both animals and plants grow. Why do we say that growth and differentiation in plants are open and not so in animals? Does this statement hold for sponges also?

Answer:

Growth and development in higher plants are termed “open” due to the presence of multiple meristems capable of continuous division and new cell production in various parts of these plant structures. In contrast, animal growth is not confined to specific regions, as all cells divide, leading to uniform body growth. Sponges display a closed form of growth.