Find The Difference Between Flora and Fauna

Difference Between Flora and Fauna

The key difference between flora and fauna is that the flora refers to the plant life in a particular region while the fauna refers to the animal life in a particular region.

Flora and fauna are two general terms used to refer to plants and animals in a particular region respectively. Since flora represents all plants, we can say flora includes all immobile autotrophic photosynthetic organisms. Similarly, we can say fauna includes all mobile heterotrophic organisms that depend on others for food sources. Hence, these words flora and fauna are mostly used together to describe the plant and animal life in a region or area. Both flora and fauna of a particular place are important for some reasons, especially for ecological reasons. Both plants, as well as animals that are indigenous to a place, maintain the ecological balance and scientists keep track of all species to see if any of these species are facing any danger of extinction. Scientists and environmentalists then work in close cooperation to devise methods to restore this delicate ecological balance.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference

2. What is Flora

3. What is Fauna

4. Similarities Between Flora and Fauna

5. Side by Side Comparison – Flora vs Fauna in Tabular Form

6. Summary

What is Flora?

The word flora comes from the Latin word Flora who was considered princess of flowers. In general, flora represents all plants occurring in a specific geographic region or time. When we talk about flora alone, we mean two different things. One meaning of flora pertains to all species of plants found in a geographical area while another meaning of the term pertains to a book which is a work of science that contains information about all plant species of a place for the purpose of their identification.

Hence, flora can be native, agricultural, or weed flora. Native flora, of course, refers to all plant species that are indigenous to a place and not those that have been imported and then grown in a place. Agricultural flora refers to plants that are again and again grown by human beings in gardens and farms for their use. Weed flora is those plants that are considered useless by humans and that are sought to be eliminated by humankind.

What is Fauna?

Fauna is a word that comes from Faunus, Roman god, and Fauna, the Roman goddess of earth and fertility. It is a collective noun that includes all animal life in a place or region at any given point of time.

Specifically, fauna represents immobile heterotrophic organisms. There are many subdivisions as follows:

Infauna refers to animal species found inside water.

Epifauna is a subcategory of Infauna, and this category consists of aquatic animal species that live at the bottom of the sea.

Macrofauna refers to small organisms that cannot pass through a sieve of size 0.5mm. They normally live inside the soil of a place.

Megafauna refers to all animals living on land.

Meiofauna includes organisms that are invertebrates and found in both freshwater and marine environments.

What are the Similarities Between Flora and Fauna?

Flora and fauna are two general terms.

In an ecosystem, they interact with each other in many ways.

Moreover, both are living organisms.

Furthermore, they are eukaryotes.

What is the Difference Between Flora and Fauna?

Plants and animals represent flora and fauna in a particular region respectively. Specifically, all the immobile autotrophic organisms belong to the term flora. On the other hand, all mobile heterotrophic organisms belong to the term fauna. Therefore, this is the key difference between flora and fauna.

Besides, another difference between flora and fauna is the presence of a cell wall in the cells. Flora includes organisms that have a cell wall while fauna includes organisms that lack a cell wall. Furthermore, chloroplasts are present in flora, while chloroplasts are absent in fauna. Thus, it is another difference between flora and fauna.

The below infographic presents more details on the difference between flora and fauna.

Summary – Flora vs Fauna

Flora and fauna are two words that come together when describing the living organisms in a particular geographic region. Flora represents the plant life while fauna represents the animal life. Thus, it is the key difference between flora and fauna. Generally, flora includes all non-movable autotrophic organisms especially grasslands, forests and flowering and non-flowering plants. On the other hand, fauna includes all movable heterotrophic organisms especially animals, insects, fish and birds. Furthermore, flora contains chloroplasts as well as cell walls in their cells while both chloroplasts and cell walls are absent in fauna.

Reference:

1.“Flora.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Dec. 2018. Available here

2.“Flora and Fauna of Greenland.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Nov. 2018. Available here

Image Courtesy:

1.”2539272″ by danutaniemiec (CC0) via pixabay

2.”Elephas maximus (Bandipur)”By Yathin S Krishnappa – Own work, (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia

Difference Between Flora And Fauna — StudyHQ.net (2022 PDF)

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Differences Between Flora and Fauna

Flora and Fauna are the set of living beings that are part of an ecosystem.

Flora refers to plant species, while fauna is the term used to categorize animals.

Although flora and fauna exist in almost the entire world, each set of plant and animal species responds to specific characteristics according to the geographical and climatic conditions of the region in which they develop, therefore, they are organisms that have evolved and adapted to their environment.

Both flora and fauna are essential to maintain balance in nature, and in many cases symbiotic relationships are established between both groups to ensure survival and therefore, the prolongation of the existence of the ecosystem in which they coexist.

Data Flora Fauna Definition They are all plant species that are part of an ecosystem. They are all animal species that are part of an ecosystem. Types Native flora.

Agricultural flora. Wildlife.

Domesticated fauna. Examples Orchid ( Orchidaceae ).

Pine (Pinus).

Carnivorous aquatic plant ( Aldrovanda vesiculosa ).

Melter thistle ( Cirsium arvense ). Dwarf moss ( Suncus etruscus ).

California tiger salamander ( Ambystoma californiense ).

Flying lizard ( Draco volans ).

European common hedgehog ( Erinaceus europaeus )

Definition of Flora

Wild cherry ( Prunus avium ), a plant species native to Europe and West Asia.

Flora are all the plant species that are part of the ecosystem of a certain region, either because they grow spontaneously in that place or because they have been cultivated by human action.

The term includes plants with or without flowers, seeds or fruits, aquatic plant species and any plant that contributes to shaping the vegetation of a geographical area.

Although flora and vegetation are often used as synonyms, the reality is that flora refers only to species, and vegetation to the distribution of those species in a given space.

The term flora comes from the homonymous Latin, which refers to the name of the goddess of spring.

Types of Flora

There are two major classifications of flora

Native Flora

It refers to the plant species that are typical of a particular geographic region, since they grow there naturally.

Examples of native flora : Camellia japonica , a flowering shrub native to Japan.

Agricultural Flora

They are the plant species that have been introduced into a region by human action.

Examples of agricultural flora : the cultivation of tea in Argentina. The tea tree ( Camellia sinensis ) is not indigenous to that area, the seeds were grown there for commercial purposes.

For a long time there was a third classification called weed flora, which was used to group plants considered as weeds. However, the category became obsolete as it was confirmed that such species play a role in the ecosystem in which they live.

Definition of Fauna

Fauna is the whole set of animal species that live in a given geographical area in the same period.

As with flora, in fauna different types of relationships are established (symbiotic, competitive) that are essential to maintain balance in nature.

Types of Fauna

Scarlet Macaw ( Ara macao ), a species of wild bird from Central and South America.

There are two types of fauna:

Wildlife

Also known as wild fauna, it is all species of animals that are typical of the region in which they are found.

Examples of wildlife : the gray wolf ( Canis lupus baileyi ) and the scarlet macaw ( Ara macao ) are species native to Mexico.

Domesticated Fauna

These are animal species introduced by humans in a geographical area of ​​which they are not native. Generally these actions are carried out for economic purposes in the agricultural and livestock sector and do not generate serious consequences.

In other cases, the introduced species end up creating an imbalance in the ecosystem and are known as invasive species. These introductions can be deliberate or accidental, but in any case once they occur they are very difficult to eradicate.

Examples of domesticated fauna : cattle, which were introduced to the world from the Middle East for commercial purposes.

An example of an invasive species is the salamander ( Ambystoma tigrinum ), which was introduced to the United States to serve as bait on fishing trips and became a threat to the native salamander ( Ambystoma californiense ).

Find The Difference Between Flora and Fauna

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What are Flora and Fauna?

Flora and fauna are two of the most important aspects of any ecosystem. Flora refers to the plants in an ecosystem, while fauna refers to the animals. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they technically have different meanings.

Flora is the collective term for the plants in an ecosystem. This includes both the dominant plants and the minor plants. The dominant plants are the ones that are the most common and have the most impact on the ecosystem. The minor plants are the ones that are less common and have less of an impact on the ecosystem.

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Fauna is the collective term for the animals in an ecosystem. This includes both the dominant animals and the minor animals. The dominant animals are the ones that are the most common and have the most impact on the ecosystem. The minor animals are the ones that are less common and have less of an impact on the ecosystem.

Both flora and fauna are important for an ecosystem. The plants provide the food and oxygen that the animals need to survive. The animals provide the food and shelter that the plants need to survive.

Distinguish Between Flora and Fauna Properly:-

Flora and fauna are two important aspects of nature. Flora refers to the plant life in an ecosystem, while fauna refers to animal life. It is important to distinguish between the two properly, as they play important roles in their respective ecosystems.

Plants are the foundation of most ecosystems. They provide food and shelter for animals, oxygen, and other important resources. They also play a key role in the water cycle. Animals rely on plants for food, and many animals also rely on plants for shelter.

It is important to distinguish between flora and fauna, as they play important roles in their respective ecosystems. Flora is the plant life in an ecosystem, while fauna is the animal life. Plants are the foundation of most ecosystems, providing food and shelter for animals, oxygen, and other important resources. Animals rely on plants for food, and many animals rely on plants for shelter.