Describe the characteristics of viruses Differntiated between plants and animals viruses
Answers
Plant viruses (Phytophages) principally attack plants and majority of them possess single stranded RNA. Plant viruses or reoviridae contain of RNA as genetic material.
Example: The wound tumour virus,Califlower virus and dahlia mosiac viruscontain dsDNA as their genetic material. No other ssDNA containing plant virus is known so far except Geminivirus.
Animal viruses (Zoophages) are those viruses that principally attack animals and possess double stranded DNA.
Plant virus
Capsid: It is only external boundary.
Genetic material: RNA
Nucleic acid strand: Single stranded
Nature of nucleic acid: Linear
Infection: Enter through wound or pore
Animal virus
Capsid: In addition to capsid envelope is also present.
Genetic material: DNA
Nucleic acid strand: Double stranded
Nature of nucleic acid: Linear or Circular
Infection: Enter through phagocytosis