Difference Between Locomotion and Movement

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Arpita Srivastava

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The difference between locomotion and movement are two key concepts in the study of motion. They are the two most important characteristics of all living creatures. 

  • Locomotion and movement are essential for an organism's survival. 
  • Movement enables an organism to carry out essential processes like breathing and blood pumping to the body.
  • It helps in the process of digestion. 
  • Locomotion allows us to move from one location to another.
  • It is used for other functions such as protection, food, and shelter.
  • All living species, except plants, travel from one location to another in search of food, shelter, or to avoid predators. 
  • Difference between locomotion and movement relates to the ability of a body to shift its posture. 

Key Terms: Difference between locomotion and movement, Locomotion, Movement, Joints, Muscles, Smooth Muscles, Brain, Muscular Movements, Ciliary System, Organs


Locomotion

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Locomotion is defined as the movement of the entire body from one location to another in a precise direction. It necessitates a driving force that acts against the body's supporting structure.

  • Locomotion is accomplished through the coordinated and balanced activity of the brain, muscular, and skeletal systems.
  • This technique is carried out by the action of appendages like as limbs, wings, and flagella.
  • Locomotion assists an organism in performing important tasks, such as finding food, avoiding predators etc.
  • It is the coordinated movement of muscles, bones, ligaments, cartilage, and tendons.
  • Locomotion includes activities such as walking, running, flying, swimming, jumping, hopping, creeping, and crawling.

Example of Locomotion

Example: In some species, such as fish, whales, and sharks, locomotion is accomplished through a wave-like succession of muscle contractions.


Types of Locomotion

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Animal locomotion consists of the following sorts of movements:

  • Cursorial (running)
  • Fossorial (living and digging underground)
  • Saltatorial (hopping or jumping)
  • Arboreal (dwelling in and moving through trees)
  • Aquatic (moving in or on the water)
  • Aerial (flying)

Movement

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Movement is the process by which an organism transfers a body part from one position to another without changing its location. There are two types of movement: voluntary and involuntary.

  • Many vital activities of an organism are aided by movement, such as the pumping of blood to various regions of the body.
  • It can be found in all living species, including plants (vertebrates and invertebrates).
  • Movement occurs in some species with the assistance of exterior body parts.
  • It occurs in others with the assistance of internal body parts.
  • As people age their movements become more fluid.

Crawling is the first step toward movement, and as a person becomes older, they begin to walk, which leads to the complete organism moving.These kinds of movements are mostly controlled by joints.

  • They're the places on our bodies where two or more skeletal components meet.
  • Our bodies have several joints that assist us in performing various activities and movements. 

Example of Movement

Example: Walking is an example of a voluntary movement, whereas breathing is an example of an involuntary action.


Joints and Muscles

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The displacement of the body or body parts from their original position to a condition of rest or motion is known as movement.

  • Locomotion is defined as the movement of the body from one location to another in a precise direction.
  • Muscles and joints are required for both actions.
  • To further understand locomotion and movement, we must first understand joints and muscles..

Joints

Cartilage and bones make up our skeletal structure. There are 206 bones in the human body. These bones are linked together. A joint is the location where two or more bones come together to execute activities.

Types of Joints

Joints are classified into three groups based on the type of movement they do.

  • Movable Joints: Locomotion and other movements are carried out by these types of joints. Knee joints, wrist joints, and a junction between the humerus and the pectoral girdle are examples of moveable joints.
  • Slightly Movable Joints:The presence of cartilages in this type of joint binds the bones together. The joint between adjacent vertebrae in the vertebral column, for example, is slightly moveable.
  • Fixed Joints: These joints do not move because of the presence of robust cartilaginous fibres. For example, the joints between the bones of the skull and the joints in tooth sockets.

Muscles

Muscles account for about 40 to 50 percent of our body weight. The fibres are cells that make up these structures. The origin of muscle fibres and tissues is mesodermal.

Types of Muscles

In the human body, there are three types of muscles.

  • Skeletal Muscles: Muscles with striated fibres are also known as striated muscles. These muscles are in charge of carrying out the movement of the organism's posture.
  • Smooth Muscles: The digestive tract contains the majority of these muscles. The nervous system is in charge of controlling the movement of these muscles.
  • Cardiac Muscles: In the heart, these muscles can be found. They are capable of contracting and relaxing in a repetitive pattern.

Types of Muscles 


Locomotion and Movement in Plants & Animals

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Plants, in most cases, are unable to travel from one location to another. As a result, they are unable to move around. But plants, on the other hand, move in a variety of other ways.

  • They can also move in reaction to external stimuli.
  • Phototropism, hydrotropism, thigmotropism, geotropism are the type of movements that can take place inside the plants.

Animals have the most fascinating modes of locomotion, as evidenced by the wide range of behavioural and evolutionary qualities they display.


Difference between Locomotion and Movement

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The difference between locomotion and movement are as follows:

Locomotion Movement
The movement of the entire body from one location to another in a precise direction is referred to as locomotion.. The motion that occurs with or without moving away from an organism's original position is referred to as movement.
It might happen when the organism moves away from its original spot. It can happen with or without the organism moving away from its original place.
It takes place at the organismal level. It takes place on a biological level.
Locomotion is usually voluntary. There are two types of movement: voluntary and involuntary.
It does not always necessitate the use of energy. It necessitates the use of energy.
Aerial, Arboreal, Aquatic, Cursorial, Fossorial, Saltatorial are the types of locomotion. Amoeboid, Ciliary, Muscular are the types of movement.
Walking, running, flying, swimming, jumping are examples of locomotion. Movement of limbs, tongue and jaw are examples of movement.

Things to Remember

  • Difference between locomotion and movement involves transition from rest to motion.
  • Walking, running, swimming, and other forms of locomotion are few of the examples.
  • Movement refers to any form of motion that does not need to be localised.
  • Locomotion is a completely self-initiated activity.
  • Movement, on the other hand, might be voluntary or involuntary. 
  • Locomotion takes a greater amount of energy than Movement.
  • Energy is produced as a result of numerous motions in the body.
  • Plants do not have the ability to travel from one location to another, but they do have numerous sorts of mobility within them.
  • For practice, students can try out Locomotion and Movement Important Questions and NCERT Solutions For Class 11 Biology Chapter 20: Locomotion and Movement for practice.

Read More: Saddle Joints


Sample Questions

Ques. What is the connection between movement and locomotion? (2 marks)

Ans: The displacement of a body or its parts from their original position, whether temporary or permanent, is referred to as movement. External and internal impulses cause living organisms and their components to move. Locomotion, on the other hand, is the movement of the entire body from one place to another.

Ques. What is a simple sort of movement that isn’t locomotion? (2 marks)

Ans: When a body moves from one location to another, it is said to be in locomotion. Locomotion includes walking, running, and climbing. However, other physical components, such as the tongue and jaws, do not allow us to move. As a result, it is possible to say that all locomotions are movements, but not all movements are locomotions.

Ques. What role does locomotion play in animal behavior? (2 marks)

Ans: Locomotion plays a vital role in animal behavior as it assists them in moving from one location to another. Animals move for a variety of reasons in order to make a life. To avoid their predators, they walk, run, jump, fly and swim.

Ques. What are the different types of plant movement? (3 marks)

Ans: Plant motions can be divided into three categories:

  • A plant's form of movement in which a plant portion (stem or root) expands in the direction of stimuli (water, light, soil).
  • Turgor Movements are plant movements that occur as a result of differences in water latent in different regions of the plant. Venus flytrap, for example, is an insectivorous plant.
  • Nastic motions are those that occur as a result of contact (touch), temperature changes, or day length changes. For instance, Portulaca flowers.

Ques. List the cells and tissue of the human body that demonstrate: (2 marks)

  1. Ameboid movement
  2. Ciliary movement

Ans: The cells and tissues are as follows:

  1. Leukocytes and Macrophages. Microfilaments and other cytoskeletal elements are also involved.
  2. They are usually found in ciliated epithelium-lined internal organs. The trachea has cilia, while the fallopian tube has ciliated epithelium.

Ques. What is the mechanism of locomotion in different organisms? (5 marks)

Ans- The following is a list of various organisms and their modes of locomotion.

  • Flagella, cilia, and pseudopodia are used by protozoans to move around.
  • Porifera are sedentary organisms that remain attached to the substratum at all times. As a result, there is no locomotion.
  • Helminths- Cilia and cuticle fibres are used for locomotion in these organisms.
  • Locomotion occurs in coelenterates due to contraction-relaxation of epidermal muscle fibres.
  • This group of creatures includes leeches, nereids, and earthworms.
  • Parapodia Locomotion is accomplished with the help of well-developed muscles such as the Setae.
  • Cockroaches and houseflies are examples of arthropods. Locomotion is achieved by the use of legs and wings.
  • Echinodermata is a group of organisms that includes starfish. Tube feet are used to help with locomotion.
  • Vertebrates- Locomotion is accomplished by a pair of legs in all vertebrates (using skeletal muscles).

Ques. Explain the various types of movements? (3 marks)

Ans: The term movement refers to the act of shifting one’s position or place. Different species move in a variety of ways. There are three sorts of movements based on the manner of locomotion:

  • Amoeboid movement- The most prevalent kind of mobility in all eukaryotic cells is amoeboid movement. This form of movement occurs in a cell’s phagocytes and is most typically observed in amoebae.
  • Ciliary and flagellar movement- Ciliary and flagellar movement occurs in internal tubular organs lined with ciliary epithelium. Ciliary movement can be seen in certain of our internal tube organs.
  • Muscular movement- This is a more complicated movement that involves muscle fibres that can contract and relax. All higher vertebrates have this form of movement.

Ques. Explain different types of joints? (3 marks)

Ans: The different types of joints are as follows:

  • Movable Joints: Locomotion and other movements are carried out by these types of joints. Knee joints, wrist joints, and a junction between the humerus and the pectoral girdle are examples of moveable joints.
  • Slightly Movable Joints:The presence of cartilages in this type of joint binds the bones together. The joint between adjacent vertebrae in the vertebral column, for example, is slightly moveable.
  • Fixed Joints: These joints do not move because of the presence of robust cartilaginous fibres. For example, the joints between the bones of the skull and the joints in tooth sockets.

Ques. What are different types of locomotion found in animals?  (2 marks)

Ans. The different types of locomotion found in animals are as follows:

  • Cursorial (running)
  • Fossorial (living and digging underground)
  • Saltatorial (hopping or jumping)
  • Arboreal (dwelling in and moving through trees)
  • Aquatic (moving in or on the water)
  • Aerial (flying)

Ques. What is the difference between bones and cartilage? (4 marks)

Ans: The difference between bones and cartilage are as follows:

Bones Cartilage
Bones are made of blood vessels. Cartilage is not made of blood vessels.
It consists of high calcium salts. It may or may not contain calcium salts.
Bones grow bidirectionally. Cartilage grows unidirectionally
It has volkmann canal. It does not have volkmann canal.

Ques. Explain different types of muscles? (3 marks)

Ans. The different types of muscles are as follows:

  • Skeletal Muscles: Muscles with striated fibres are also known as striated muscles. These muscles are in charge of carrying out the movement of the organism's posture.
  • Smooth Muscles: The digestive tract contains the majority of these muscles. The nervous system is in charge of controlling the movement of these muscles.
  • Cardiac Muscles: In the heart, these muscles can be found. They are capable of contracting and relaxing in a repetitive pattern.

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