Nonplant

Nonplant is an informal, non-taxonomic term used to describe organisms and biological entities that are not members of the plant kingdom (Plantae). It is used in biology, ecology, agriculture, and science communication to distinguish plants from all other living things and from plant-like organisms in casual contexts.

Scope of the term is broad. The nonplant category includes animals, fungi, bacteria, archaea, protists, and many algae. Some algae are photosynthetic and resemble plants but are not always classified as true plants under modern taxonomy. Viruses are sometimes discussed alongside nonplants in broad contexts, though they are not cellular and their living status is debated in biology.

Nonplants display a wide range of life strategies and appearances. Animals are typically multicellular and heterotrophic, fungi are decomposers and symbionts, bacteria and archaea are single-celled prokaryotes with diverse metabolisms, protists are diverse single-celled or simple multicellular organisms, and algae are photosynthetic eukaryotes that fall outside many plant-group definitions. This diversity means nonplants span aquatic and terrestrial habitats and include both microscopic and macroscopic forms.

Limitations and usage. Because nonplant is informal, its definition varies by field and context, and it is not a substitute for formal taxonomic classification. The term can aid general communication about ecosystem roles, agriculture, and biodiversity by contrasting nonplant life with plants, but it should be used with care to avoid ambiguity in scientific work.