CLASSIFYING LIVING THINGS

A great diversity of living things exists in our world. Scientists estimated that there are over ten million species
of living things on the earth but less than two million have been discovered and classified. Living things can be
classified or grouped based on similar characteristics or features. Some of these characteristics may be based on
their development, life cycle, physiology (functions of organisms and their parts) or anatomy (shape and body
structure).

Living things that are in the same group share one or several common characteristics. Because each living thing
has many characteristics, there is more than one way to classify it.

Today scientists have classified living things into five kingdoms:

1. Plants
2. Animals
3. Fungi
4. Protoctista
5. Prokaryote

The organisms in each kingdom are further divided into smaller sub-groups such as genus and species. There
groups are based on certain similarities for example, modern man was given the scientific name “homo
sapiens”; we belong to the genus ‘homo’ and to the species ‘sapiens’.

Organisms that belong to the same species can interbreed to make offspring of that species. They share many
similar characteristics such as appearance and development.

THE FIVE KINGDOMS DESCRIBED

1. Plants:
o They are all producers – this means that they can make their own food; this is done by a process
called photosynthesis
o Plants get their green color from the chlorophyll pigment in their cells; chlorophyll collects
energy from the light of the sun which is used to create food
2. Animals: they are all consumers – this means that they get their food from other organisms by eating
them
3. Fungi:
o They are all decomposers that use spores to reproduce.
o They cannot make their own food
o Examples include mold, mildew and mushrooms
4. Protoctista or Protoctists:
o Consist of unicellular (one-celled) life forms – for example amoebas, paramecia and diatoms
o They have a nucleus
o Many appear to be both plant and animal; like plants, they are green and can create food; like
animals, they have moving body parts which they use to move around their environment
5. Prokaryote: are unicellular life forms that have no nucleus and missing many of the organelles or parts
commonly found in other cells; they include all bacteria and blue-green algae.
CLASSIFICATION OF PLANTS

Plants may be divided into non-vascular and vascular

1. Non-vascular plants do not have water-conducting tissues or true roots, leaves or stems. They may be
further into:
a. Algae
b. Mosses
2. Vascular plants contain water and nutrient conducting tissues called xylem and phloem. They have true
roots, stems and leaves. They are further divided into
a. Seed-making: create seeds
b. Seedless: do not make seeds but makes spores

SEED-MAKING PLANTS ARE FURTHER DIVIDED INTO FLOWERING AND NON-FLOWERING

o Flowering plants produce flowers that produce seeds within fruits. They are also called angiosperms
and the seeds have a protective coating.
o Non-flowering plants do not produce flowers. Their seeds develop within reproduction structures called
cones. They are also called gymnosperms and the seeds have no protective coating.

FLOWERING PLANTS ARE FURTHER DIVIDED INTO MONOCOTYLEDONS AND

o Monocotyledons have one seed leaf, parallel veins, floral parts in multiples of three and a vascular
system in pairs throughout the stem.
o Dicotyledons have two seed leaves, netted leaf veins, floral parts in multiples of four or five and a
vascular system arranged in continuous rings inside the stem

Note: non-vascular plants also do not make seeds.

The most common classification of animals is based on the presence or absence of backbone. Animals with
backbone are called vertebrates while animals without backbone are called invertebrates.

Vertebrates are further placed into 5 groups – namely fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

1. Fish
o They are cold-blooded. This means that their body temperature changes according to their
surrounding temperatures
o They breathe through gills; they are adapted to live underwater
o They have fins and tails to help them swim
o Their skin is covered with hard scales for protection
o Most reproduce by laying eggs

2. Amphibians
o Are cold-blooded
o They breathe through gills when young and lungs when adults; they live on both land and in the
water
o They have moist skins
o They reproduce by laying eggs

3. Reptiles
o They are cold-blooded
o They breathe through lungs
o Their skin is dry and scaly
o They reproduce by laying eggs on land

4. Birds
o They are warm-blooded. This means that their body temperature do not change with the
surrounding temperatures
o They breathe through lungs
o They have feathers
o They have wings and a beak
o They reproduce by laying eggs

5. Mammals
o They are warm-blooded
o They breathe through lungs
o They have hair or fur over their skin
o They reproduce by giving birth to live young
Most Animals are invertebrates. Invertebrates do not have backbones. They are further divided into
arthropods, annelids, cnidarians, flatworms, nematodes, echinoderms and mollusks

1. Arthropods: have segmented bodies, jointed legs and hard structures such a shell on the outside called
exoskeleton from time to time as they grow. They are further grouped into:
a. Crustaceans: have 2 pair of antennae and 5 or more pairs of legs. Examples include crabs and
shrimps.
b. Insects: have 1 pair of antennae and 3 pairs of legs; also have 1 or 2 pair of wings. Examples include
ants and bees
c. Arachnids: have no antennae and 4 pairs of legs. Examples include spiders and scorpions
d. Myriapods: have many segments with legs on them. Examples include millipedes and centipedes
2. Annelids: are segmented worms; they have bodies divided into many sections with no legs; they have a
mouth and an anus. Example the earthworm.
3. Cnidarians: attack their prey with tiny stinging threads or tentacles. They have 1 body opening and live
in water. Example the jellyfish.
4. Flat worms: worms with flat, unsegmented bodies; they have a mouth but no anus
5. Nematodes: are worms with rounded, unsegmented bodies; they have mouth and anus
6. Echinoderms: they have spiny skins and five-way radial symmetry. Examples: the starfish and sea
urchin
7. Mollusks: have soft, unsegmented bodies with internal or external shells. Examples: the snail and squid