In majority of higher animals and plants,growth and reproduction are mutually exclusive events

In most higher animals and plants, growth and reproduction are mutually exclusive events. This means that these organisms cannot grow and reproduce at the same time.

Step 1: Understanding the Concept Growth is the process where an organism increases in size, number of cells or complexity. Reproduction, on the other hand, is the process of producing offspring.

Step 2: Mutual Exclusivity When two events are mutually exclusive, it means that if one event occurs, the other cannot. In the context of higher animals and plants, this means that when they are growing, they are not reproducing, and vice versa.

Step 3: Examples in Animals and Plants For example, in many mammals, growth occurs during the juvenile phase, and once the animal reaches adulthood, it stops growing and starts reproducing. Similarly, in many plants, growth occurs during certain seasons, and reproduction occurs during others.

Step 4: Reasoning The reason for this mutual exclusivity is often due to resource allocation. Both growth and reproduction require significant amounts of energy and resources. Therefore, it is more efficient for an organism to focus on one process at a time.

Step 5: Exceptions However, it's important to note that there are exceptions to this rule. Some organisms, like certain types of fish and reptiles, can continue to grow while they are reproducing.