TWO PATTERNS OF LIFE 



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production of organs. Most animals develop a definite number 

 of organs, while among flowering plants there is an indefinite 

 number. The number of leaves, flowers or fruits produced by a 

 tree is not consistent for all members of the same species. 



Fig. 7. — Some Sequoias have been growing for over five thousand years 

 and may continue to do so for another five thousand. General Sherman tree 

 in Sequoia National Park. 



Reproduction is basically the same for both plants and 

 animals, being merely an extension of the growth process with 

 the new cells separating from the parent and developing into 

 independent organisms. These reproductive units are usually 

 single cells bearing within themselves all the characteristics of 

 the parents, which appear as the cell grows by cell division and 



