All living organisms on Earth were originally historically divided into the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom. Then it was decided to isolate fungi, bacteria and viruses into an independent kingdom. After some time, protists, archaea and chromists took shape as an independent kingdom.
The plant kingdom includes flowering plants and gymnosperms, club mosses and horsetails, ferns and mosses. Sometimes they include algae. Flowering plants and some gymnosperms are in turn divided into herbs, shrubs, trees and others.
Aristotle at the dawn of the development of science defined the kingdom of plants as an intermediate state between living and inanimate nature. The scientist based his reasoning on two facts:
- These are living organisms that can reproduce, consume food and water, and breathe.
- Plants are unable to move independently.
Despite the fact that the plant kingdom is the most studied area of science, discoveries are still being made in this area. And there are still a lot of controversial issues.
For example, today it is impossible to say thatthe fact that plants cannot move. They can’t move on their own, because the root system firmly holds the plant in one place. But they are capable of making certain movements.
Take, for example, the ability of some trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers to “cry” – to release liquid before the rain. A similar phenomenon has been observed with respect to maple, alder, willow, pine, acacia, alocasia, burr, quinoa, plakoon-grass.
Let's say that this is regarded by biologists not as a physical process, but as a chemical process. Then we can give a more interesting example - carnivorous plants. No one will argue here: the leaf flaps of a carnivorous flower close as soon as an insect sits on it. This can be easily observed by having such an amazing pet at home on the windowsill!
The objection here is that the plant performs this kind of action automatically, that is, a certain function is triggered, regardless of the desire of the creature. Thus, the conclusion suggests itself: the world of plants differs from wildlife in that they are not able to desire, experience emotions, and think. Life processes are performed regardless of the subject himself.
Then you can give such an example (a long time ago, in the 60s, an article was published in the journal "Science and Life" with photographs). Two plants are displayed side by side on the window. Incisions are made on one of the processes of each, from which a liquid is released that functions along the stem. Droplets fall with a clear regularity.
Constantly a person enters the room and waters them. And the devices begin to record that during the arrival of this particular person, droplets begin to drip more often - the plants “recognize” their breadwinner!
Further, another character is included in the experience - an evil "killer". He waters one plant with boiling water, after which it dies. A few days later, this "killer" enters the room again. The surviving flower begins to get terribly worried after recognizing this person! The pressure in it is so great that the droplets begin to drip very quickly, almost one after another!
So do plants think or not? How do they understand the world around them? Perhaps they even know how to talk? All this we have yet to find out.
Modern biology claims that the difference between plants and other kingdoms is that they live by photosynthesis. And what do they say about the already named carnivorous plants? And what about the parasites that ensure their existence at the expense of the "owner"? Perhaps they should also be separated into a separate kingdom?
Yes, biologists still have a lot of questions to solve. Even today a lot has been done in this area. As of 2004, 287,655 different plant species have been registered. These are groups of plants that have similar characteristics. Among them, 258,650 flowering, 11,000 ferns, 16,000 mosses, 8,000 green algae are distinguished. But new species discoveries are still taking place today.
