The oldest living organisms on Earth are plants. Some bristlecone pines are about 4,000 years old, and a dese

Question

The oldest living organisms on Earth are plants. Some bristlecone pines are about 4,000 years old, and a desert creosote bush is known to be 10,00 years old. What special feature of plants provides for this incredible longevity? How do plants differ from animals in their pattern of growth and development?

Answer 1

I think plants live longer than animals because it is such a simpler system with fewer things that can go wrong like in a more complex system. Think of it this way, if you build a go cart out of strong wood and sturdy wheels it may last several generations before needing to be repaired. But buying a car and the car can have engine problems within the first year or two, or unfortunately in even as little as a couple of weeks in some cases. Most cars have a ten year warranty, but a much simpler contraption like a go cart can last for several lifetimes.

Answer 2

Actually standard textbooks will sometimes claim that the oldest living thing in the world is a big tree in Tasmania estimated to be 40,000 years old, though no one has ever tested this (and I think it's bunk). The age of the Bristlecone Pines is a fluke. There doesn't have to be a reason. They've survived a long time. One day, lightning will strike and they'll burn to the ground.

Answer 3

The oldest living organisms are cyanobacteria

Answer 4

Their telomeres (the ends of the chromosomes) don't break down like animals' do.