Why Plants Live Longer Than Animals

In a research conducted by researchers at VIB and Ghent University, the researchers learn more about how plant stem cells function differently compared to animal stems cells which allows plants to live longer than animals.

What the researchers have found is as explained by Lieven De Veylder, one of the researchers, "Our data suggest that certain organizing stem cells in plant roots are less sensitive for DNA-damage. Those cells hold an original and intact DNA copy which can be used to replace damaged cells if necessary. Animals rely on a similar mechanism but most likely plants have employed this in a more optimized manner. This could explain why many plants can live for more than hundreds of years, while this is quite exceptional for animals."

The mechanism of the continuous plant growth highly depends on the continuous generation of new cells which are called stem cells. These stem cells divide at a very high frequency and have the unique characteristic that the original mother cell keeps the stem cell activity while the daughter cell acquires a certain specialization. Besides these stem cells, plant roots also harbor organizing cells. These organizing cells divide with a three- to ten-fold lower frequency, therefore often referred to as quiescent center cells. The organizing cells control the action of the surrounding stem cells and can replace them if necessary.

This is quite an interesting news and may be an important breakthrough as we always wonder how trees of the rainforest are able to live for hundreds of years, standing through time and weather.

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