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I am not a Phd in biology so don't go hard on me.when I was walking to home after swimming class I saw a mouse dead and was intimidated by gods wonder but when I reached home I saw the Devil's ivy and my thoughts flung to the 450 year old tree in my city why didnt it die when the mouse did.

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  • $\begingroup$ There are whole large groups of plants that die in a relatively short time. Annuals, for instance, grow from seed to mature plant, produce seed, and die within the space of a year. Desert ephemerals are even shorter-lived, compressing the whole sprouting to seed process into the few weeks after a rain. $\endgroup$
    – jamesqf
    Commented Jan 14, 2018 at 3:34
  • $\begingroup$ rephrase that question to not talk about intimidation by gods, not Phd, walking, swimming, it's a mouse/tree longevity question only. $\endgroup$
    – bandybabboon
    Commented Jan 14, 2018 at 7:44
  • $\begingroup$ plants have a slow metabolic rate. to can go into stasis, they can freeze below -20, they can go without water. complex machinery breaks faster than simple stuff, i.e. a scythe versus a lawnmower. $\endgroup$
    – bandybabboon
    Commented Jan 14, 2018 at 7:47
  • $\begingroup$ Many plants don't have the lifespan of a mouse. Many animals don't have the lifespan of a tortoise. This isn't about Biology. It's about learning. Your question is based on misperceptions. $\endgroup$
    – anongoodnurse
    Commented Jan 15, 2018 at 2:54
  • $\begingroup$ PhD in biology? $\endgroup$
    – user62625
    Commented Jul 31, 2021 at 17:14

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What do you mean by plants don't die? You don't have to have a PhD to comment on this! Haven't you seen dead grass or any dead plant in your life? Some trees have a long lifespan, like the banyan, but they do die. Even turtles have a long life, but that doesn't mean that they don't die.

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Plants die of old age too. Trees tend to have a long lifespan but still.... they die of old age.

There are few species that seem to have negligible sensescence such as

  • giant tortoise
  • greenland shark
  • aspen tree root system
  • mussel

and some that even seem to never age (biologically immortalilty) such as

  • lobster
  • hydra
  • some bacteria
  • some yeast

but you most definitely cannot make such generality as "animals age, plants don't".

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