Difference Between Flora and Fauna

• Definition: Flora refers to all the naturally occurring Plant Life present in a particular region or time period.
• Etymology: The word comes from Latin, where 'Flora' was the Roman goddess of flowers and spring.
• Characteristics: Flora is stationary (cannot move). They are the 'Producers' of the ecosystem, meaning they make their own food using sunlight (photosynthesis).
• Examples: The tropical rainforest trees of the Amazon, the cactus plants in the Sahara desert, grasses, mosses, and flowers.

• Definition: Fauna refers to all the naturally occurring Animal Life present in a particular region or time period.
• Etymology: The word comes from Latin, where 'Fauna' was the Roman goddess of earth and fertility.
• Characteristics: Fauna is highly mobile. They are the 'Consumers' of the ecosystem, meaning they cannot make their own food and must survive by eating the Flora or eating other Fauna.
• Examples: The Royal Bengal Tigers in India, Kangaroos in Australia, insects, birds, and aquatic fish.

Flora and Fauna cannot exist without each other. The Fauna (animals) rely on the Flora (plants) for oxygen, food, and shelter. In return, the Flora relies on the Fauna for carbon dioxide (exhaled by animals), pollination (bees spreading pollen), and seed dispersal.