Which structure and function are common to all plants and some protists and distinguishes them from all animals ?

The structure and function common to all plants and some protists, distinguishing them from all animals, are chloroplasts and photosynthesis.

Chloroplasts are specialized organelles found in plant cells and some protists (such as algae) that contain chlorophyll, a pigment crucial for the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the biochemical process by which organisms, primarily plants and some protists, convert light energy into chemical energy, producing glucose (a form of stored energy) and oxygen from carbon dioxide and water.

While animals do not possess chloroplasts or engage in photosynthesis, plants and certain protists use chloroplasts to harness light energy from the sun and convert it into chemical energy, which serves as the primary source of nutrition for these organisms. This distinction in the ability to perform photosynthesis separates plants and some protists from animals.