move around for at least part of their life.
Answer
a. Living organisms
b. Animals
c. Species
d. Eukaryotes
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is b. Animals.
Explanation:
Movement in Animals:
Animals are a distinct group within the biological classification of living organisms that are characterized by their ability to move. While many organisms, including plants and fungi, exhibit growth or certain movements (like plant roots growing towards water), animals possess the specialized ability to move voluntarily for at least part of their life. This movement is typically made possible by specialized muscle tissues that are absent in other life forms like plants.
- Voluntary Movement:
Animals, especially in their mature form, are capable of voluntary movement, which includes walking, swimming, flying, or crawling, depending on the species. The movement often serves various functions, such as searching for food, escaping predators, finding mates, or migrating to suitable habitats. - Embryonic Stage:
Although some animals like sponges are sessile as adults, they display motility in their larval stage. For instance, sponges (phylum Porifera) are stationary when fully developed, but their larvae are free-swimming. Hence, animals as a biological category have the capacity for movement at least in some part of their life cycle. - Contrast with Other Organisms:
Other living organisms, like plants (kingdom Plantae) and fungi (kingdom Fungi), do not exhibit voluntary movement. While plants can grow towards light or water (a phenomenon called tropism), this is different from the voluntary and active movement seen in animals. Some plants may disperse seeds or have parts that move, but the plant itself doesn’t move from one location to another.
Why Not Other Options?
- Living organisms (a) is incorrect because this category includes all forms of life—plants, fungi, bacteria, etc.—many of which do not move.
- Species (c) is too broad, as it refers to any specific group of living organisms.
- Eukaryotes (d) is incorrect since it includes a wide range of organisms (plants, fungi, animals, and protists), most of which do not have the capability for voluntary movement.
Thus, animals are unique among living organisms in their ability to move during at least some phase of their life cycle.