What characteristic defines organisms placed in the Kingdom Animalia, separating them from fungi and plants?
Answer
They are multicellular and heterotrophic, consuming other organisms for nutrition.
The Kingdom Animalia encompasses all life forms that are multicellular and eukaryotic. Critically, these organisms are heterotrophic, meaning they must ingest or absorb organic compounds produced by other organisms to obtain necessary energy and nutrients, unlike autotrophs such as plants that produce their own food via photosynthesis. This mode of nutrition is a fundamental distinction separating Animalia from kingdoms like Plantae or Fungi, although the latter also heterotrophic, possesses cell walls.
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