Classification
Specie: group of organisms that can reproduce to give fertile offspring
apart from small variations, members of a species are almost identical
in their anatomy, physiology and behaviour
Genus: group of closely related species
if genus is same, species are closely related
Binomial system
Linnaeus classified organisms using the binomial system
an internationally agreed system where the scientific name of
organisms is made up of two parts
o starting with the genus, always given a capital letter and
o followed by the species, starting with a lower case letter
o written in latin and italicised
allows for the subdivision of organisms into smaller and more
specialised groups
makes it easier to communicate clearly about different organisms,
reducing the chance of error
Katy- Kingdom
Perry- Phylum
Came- Class
Over- Order
For- Family
Grape- Genus
Soda- Species
Dichotomous Keys
identifies organisms based on a series of questions about their features
dichotomous- branching into two; leads the user through to the name
of the organism by giving two descriptions at a time and asking them
to choose
the more similar the base sequences of the organisms, the more
closely-related they are (have recent ancestors) as their DNA would
have had less time to accumulate mutations
Five Kingdoms
1. Animals
2. Plants
3. Fungi
4. Protoctists
5. Prokaryotes
Animals
multicellular
eukaryotic: cells contain a nucleus and other membrane-bound
organelles
do not contain cell walls or chloroplasts
heterotrophic: feed on organic substances made by other living
things
motile
have nervous and endocrine systems
Arthropods (phylum)
invertebrates: do not have a backbone
jointed legs
hard, firm exoskeleton which encloses their body (known as cuticle)
segmented body with 2-3 regions (head, thorax, abdomen OR
cephalothorax and abdomen)
1. Crustacea
marine crustacea: shrimps, crabs, lobsters, prawns
freshwater crustacea: water louse, water flea, freshwater shrimp
land-dwelling crustacea: woodlice
body divided into two regions: cephalothorax and abdomen
5 or more pairs of jointed legs
chalky exoskeleton made of calcium
2 pairs of antennae/ long thin feelers attached to head,
sensitive to touch and chemicals
compound eyes
o sensitive to movement
o large visual field, can see forwards and backwards
breathe through gills
2. Insects
butterflies, ants, wasps, beetles, houseflies
head, thorax and abdomen
3 pairs of jointed legs
firm exoskeleton, cuticle prevents water loss
1 pair of antennae
2 pairs of wings (1 or both pairs may be vestigal- non-functional or
underdeveloped)
compound eyes
3. Arachnids
spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites
cephalothorax(carapace) and abdomen
4 or more pairs of jointed legs
1 pair of pedipalps: one for reproduction and the other with a
gland on its base to secrete poison, pierce and paralyse the prey
no antennae or wings
simple eyes
4. Myriapods
centipede (carnivore) and millipede (herbivore)
simple eyes
body consists of many segments
at least 1 pair of legs on each segment
1 pair of antennae
Mollusks (phylum)
soft, unsegmented body protected by a hard shell ****
snail
Annelids
segmented worms without legs
earthworms
cold-blooded: body temperature depends on temperature of the
surroundings; no internal mechanism for temperature control
warm-blooded: body temperature kept constant despite variation in
external heat
Vertebrates
have a backbone
1. Fish
flounder, clown fish, tuna
cold-blooded
loose, wet scales on skin
smooth, streamlined chape to move easily in water
filamentous gills to breathe, protected by a bony plate called
operculum
reproduce sexually but fertilisation takes place externally (lay jelly
covered eggs in water)
lateral lining along body for detecting vibrations in water
2. Amphibia
frog +
o toads have a drier skin, produce unpleasant tasting chemical
to put off predators
o newts have a tail
cold-blooded
smooth, moist, slimy skin
lay eggs without shells in water + external fertilisation
4 pairs of legs (hind legs of frogs and toads are webbed to provide
a large surface area for swimming. newts swim by wriggling their
body)
no scales
adults live on land (lungs), larvae live in water (gills)
3. Reptiles
lizards, snakes, turtles
cold-blooded
lay eggs with rubbery shell on land
dry, fixed, scaly skin (helps reduce water loss)
lungs
four limbs (except snakes), five toes
4. Birds
sparrow, pigeon, hen, eagle, duck, pigeon
warm-blooded
body covered with feathers, legs and toes covered with scales
beak (for feeding)
lay eggs with hard shell on land
have 2 legs and 2 wings
4 toes with claws to perch, scratch and capture prey
rigid structure that helps in flying
5. Mammals
human, dog, mouse, horse
warm-blooded
bodies covered in hair/ fur
give birth to live young
have placenta
feed young from mammary glands
external years (pinna)
Archaea: contains ancient prokaryotic organisms e.g., those found in salt
lakes and hot springs
Eubacteria: prokaryotic organisms
Eukarya: eukaryotic organisms
Plants
multicellular
eukaryotic
cells contain a nucleus, chloroplasts and cellulose cell walls
autotrophic: feed by photosynthesis
non-motile
Ferns
have leaves called fronds
do not produce flowers but instead reproduce by spores produced on
the underside of frond
spores can be carried away by wind, water or animals
sporangia, spore capsules formed on the lower side of leaf, arranged
in compact groups, produce spores through mitosis, store and protect
them until they are mature enough to be released
Flowering plants
reproduce sexually by means of flowers or seeds
seeds are produced inside the ovary found at the base of the flower
cotyledon: embryonic leaf containing food store
Monocotyled
Feature Dicotyledons
ons
Leaf long and
broad
shape narrow
Leaf branching,
parallel
veins reticulated
Cotyled
1 2
on
multiples of multiples of four or
Flowers
three five
Fungi
moulds, mushrooms, yeast
usually multicellular
cells have nuclei and cell walls made from chitin
feed by **saprophytic (**secreting digestive enzymes onto the dead or
decaying material and consuming the broken down nutrients) or
parasitic (on live material) nutrition
body called mycelium made of little thread-like structures
some are pathogenic e.g., those affecting crop plants, mildew, athlete’s
foot
Protoctist
amoeba, paramecium
most are unicellular but some (e.g., protozoa, plasmodium) are
multicellular
all have a nucleus, some way have cell walls or chloroplasts
o some are autotrophic e.g., euglena, chlorella and hence,
photosynthesise
o some are heterotrophic e.g., amoeba digests food by picking up
bacteria and microscopic organisms as it moves, vorticella has a
stalk that can contract and feeds by making a current of water
with its cilia
some are pathogenic e.g., plasmodium causes malaria
Prokaryote
bacteria, blue-green algae
often unicellular
have cell walls made of peptidoglycan, but no nucleus or mitochondria
o circular strand of DNA suspended in the cytoplasm
heterotrophic + autotrophic (some photosynthesise + chemosynthesis
but do not have chloroplasts)
o some like [Link] carry out extracellular digestion
Virus
influenza, covid-19
do not carry out the seven life processes for themselves, instead they
take over a host cell’s metabolic pathways in order to make multiple
copies of themselves
can only replicate inside living cells
viruses that invade bacteria are known as bacteriophage
Structure
RNA or DNA
a protein coat
some contain an outer envelope as shown in the image below
can be polyhedral, spherical, helical or complex