Difference Between Movement And Locomotion: Types, Facts

Difference Between Movement And Locomotion: Types, Facts

Irshad AnwarUpdated on 04 Dec 2025, 04:05 PM IST

Movement refers to the displacement or change in posture of an organism or its body parts, while locomotion involves moving the entire body from one place to another. Both processes are essential survival strategies, supported by cellular activities, muscular systems, and specialized adaptations. This guide covers definitions, types, mechanisms, examples, comparisons, diagrams, FAQs, and NEET-level MCQs.

This Story also Contains

  1. Introduction – Why Movement & Locomotion Matter
  2. What Is Movement?
  3. What Is Locomotion?
  4. Differences Between Movement and Locomotion
  5. Movement vs Locomotion NEET MCQs (With Answers & Explanations)
  6. Recommended Video on the Difference Between Movement and Locomotion
Difference Between Movement And Locomotion: Types, Facts
Difference Between Movement And Locomotion

Introduction – Why Movement & Locomotion Matter

Movement refers to a change in position or location in space by an organism or its parts and embodies many diverse biological processes. However, locomotion entails only the capability of an organism to move from one place to the other by itself. Being able to tell the difference between the two terms is quite important in the field of biological science since it explains further, different mechanisms or ways organisms put in place to implement their survival or adaptation to different conditions.

What Is Movement?

Movement means any change in the position or posture of an organism or its parts about its environment.

Types of Movements

  • Voluntary: Those which are controlled by conscious effort, including walking or making gestures.

  • Involuntary: Not controlled by conscious will; includes movement related to heartbeat, reflex actions, etc.

  • Cellular: It doesn't require that parts move with the environment. Includes movements of cytoplasmic streaming within cells.

Mechanism of Movements

  • Cellular Level: It includes the streaming of cytoplasm itself within the cells, cytoplasmic streaming.

  • Organismal Level: It contains muscular contraction, and ciliary movement, such as in respiratory epithelium.

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Examples of Movement

  • Humans: Waving the arms, blinking, and breathing.

  • Animals: Amoeboid movement found in the amoeba, plants' tropism or growth towards light.

What Is Locomotion?

Locomotion, in particular, is the movement of an organism from one place to another.

Types of Locomotion

  • Bipedalism (on two legs)

  • Quadrupedalism (on four legs)

  • Flying

  • Swimming.

Mechanism of Locomotion

  • Musculoskeletal Systems: It deals with the coordination of bones, muscles, and joints to move.

  • Adaptations: Organisms develop special adaptations such as wings in birds, fins in fish, and legs in mammals to move about.

Examples of Locomotion

  • Human: Walking, running, swimming.

  • Animal: Flying by birds, crawling by insects, swimming by fish.

Differences Between Movement and Locomotion

Difference between movement and locomotion is one of the important difference and comparison articles in biology. The differences are listed below-


Movement

Locomotion

Definition

Change in position or posture.

Movement from one place to another.

Mechanisms

Cellular processes, muscle contraction

Musculoskeletal systems, specialised adaptations

Functional Purpose

Varied, includes cellular functions

Facilitates travel and navigation

Evolutionary Role

Supports cellular functions, responses

Essential for survival, adaptation

Movement vs Locomotion NEET MCQs (With Answers & Explanations)

Important questions asked in NEET from this topic are:

  • Types of Movement and Locomotion

  • Movement vs Locomotion

Practice Questions for NEET

Q1. Select incorrect statement

  1. Skeletal muscles are closely associated with skeletal components of the body.

  2. Skeletal muscles having stripped appearance.

  3. Skeletal muscles are also called striated muscles.

  4. None of these

Correct answer: 4) None of these

Explanation:

Skeletal muscles are closely associated with the skeletal components of the body. They have a striped appearance under the microscope and hence are called striated muscles.

Hence, the correct answer is option 4) None of these.

Q2. Due to deficiency of which hormone, bones become weak in females?

  1. ACTH

  2. TSH

  3. Progesterone

  4. Oestrogen

Correct answer: 4) Oestrogen

Explanation:

Oestrogen is secreted by the cells of Graafian (ovarian) follicles.

  • It stimulates the development of female secondary sex characteristics during puberty and maintains them through the reproductive years of adult life.

  • It also stimulates the maturation of the ova (in the ovaries) and the development of the uterine epithelium and the mammary glands.

  • Its absence caused weak bones in females

Hence, the correct answer is option 4) Oestrogens.

Q3. Bones are hard because having

  1. Bone marrow

  2. Calcium salt

  3. Collagen fibres

  4. More than one correct

Correct answer: 4) More than one correct

Explanation:

Jawbones and limb bones have a very hard matrix primarily due to the deposition of calcium salts, such as calcium phosphate and calcium carbonate. These minerals provide rigidity and strength, enabling these bones to withstand mechanical stress and support the body's structure while facilitating movement and essential functions like chewing.

Hence, the correct answer is option 4) More than one correct answer.

Also Read:

Recommended Video on the Difference Between Movement and Locomotion


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What are examples of movements in humans and animals?
A:

Examples are the waving of arms, blinking in humans, amoeboid movement in animals, and plant tropisms.

Q: How do muscles contribute to movement and locomotion?
A:

Interactions with bones and joints move and facilitate locomotion brought about by the simple contraction of muscles.

Q: Why distinction between movement and locomotion in biology have to be clearly understood?
A:

Known distinctions of all these differences are important to clarify how organisms would be able to respond to their surroundings, survive through challenges, adapt to specialised movements, and have locomotor abilities.

Q: What is the difference between movement and locomotion?
A:

While any change in position or posture comes under the category of movement, locomotion specifies only the ability to move from one place to another.

Q: How will the terms 'Movement' and 'locomotion’ differ while talking in the context of biology?
A:

All changes in position are movement while locomotion is self-powered movement from one location to another.

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