Question

What is the difference between a tree and a shrub?

Answer 1

While the trees and shrubs differ in some certain characteristics, it is pretty easy to distinguish between the two. The trees or plants are generally larger in size, with larger branches and usually have good height. The shrubs on the other hand are stout (short) with small branches and occupy the lower levels of ground.

Complete answer:
Some characteristic comparison between the trees and the plants can be drawn up as follows:

CHARACTER/BASIS OF COMPARISON	TREES	SHRUBS
Body type	Soft and tender axis. Many of them have weak stems that creep on the ground or take support to grow up (climbers).Some of them might have a short woody axis.	Large stems and thick, woody trunks.
Size	Small. They usually cover the ground in forests.	Large sized. They can range to various heights depending on the species.
Mode of nutrition	Autotrophic mainly.Some are heterotrophic, that draw nutrition from other plants.	Autotrophic.
Lifespan	Don’t have a long lifespan, maximum 3-4 years.	Can live up to hundreds of years.

Note:
Trees have higher energy needs than the shrubs. Also, large trees like Banyan may absorb gallons of water from the soil in a single day as it uses it to release oxygen in the environment. Shrubs have lesser energy requirements and may also survive if they receive low sunlight, which is common in dense forests. The larger trees due to their huge foliage act as a filter that filters the rainfall.