CLASSIFICATION

Characteristics of living things

Classification
Binomial nomenclature
Learning
Objectives
Characterist
ics of
Living Thing
s
  Movement – an action by an organism or part of an
organism causing a change of position or place.
 Respiration – the chemical reactions in cells that
break down nutrient molecules and release energy for
metabolism.
Definitions  Sensitivity – the ability to detect and respond to
changes in the internal or external environment.
 Growth – a permanent increase in size and dry mass.
Always  Reproduction – the processes that make more of the
memorize! same kind of organism.
 Excretion – the removal of waste products of
metabolism and substances in excess of
requirements.
 Nutrition – taking in materials for energy, growth
and development.
  Mule?
What about?  Viruses?
 Prions?
Classification
Before we  Why classify?
jump in....  On what basis?
Of the 3 pictures given,
which two species are
the more closely
related?
  Organisms can be classified into
groups by the features that they
share.
 Classification systems aim to reflect
Basis for evolutionary relationships.
Classificatio  Classification is traditionally based on:
n  Morphology [form and shape of the
body]
 Anatomy [detailed body structure,
which could be determined by
dissection]
 The sequences of bases in DNA and of
amino acids in proteins are used as a
more accurate means of classification.
 Organisms which share a more recent
common ancestor [are more closely
related] have base sequences in DNA that
are more similar than those that share
only a distant common ancestor.
The Seven
Taxonomic levels
(Kids Put Cats On
Fired Gas Stoves)
(Just FYI)

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
species
Just FYI

E.g., For humans

Binomial Nomenclature
◦Species – a group of organisms that can reproduce to produce fertile
offspring.

◦Binomial nomenclature – an internationally agreed system in which the

scientific name of an organism is made up of two parts showing the genus
and species.
Rules for Scientific Names
◦ First letter of genus name should be Capital.
◦ First letter of species name should be in lowercase.
◦ When typed, scientific names should be in italics.
◦ When handwritten, they should be underlined separately.
Features of
Organisms
Viruses
 Not considered alive
 Virus = genetic material
(DNA/RNA) + protein coat
The Five
Kingdom
Classificatio
n
 Animals
 Plants
 Fungi
 Protoctista
 Prokaryotes
What characteristics
would you look at to
determine where an
organism belongs in
this flow chart?
​ Type of ​ Cellularit Cell Wall ​ Nutrition ​
nucleus ​ y​
choose ​ prokaryotic unicellular/ ​ present/ autotrophic/
between ​ /​ multicellular​ absent ​ heterotrophic/​
eukaryotic ​ saprotrophic​
Animals ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
Plants​ ​ ​ ​ ​
Fungi ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​Protoctista ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
​Prokaryotes ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
  Multicellular (many-celled) bodies.
 Cells have a nucleus.
 Have no cell walls or chloroplasts.
 Heterotrophs – feed on organic substances made
by other living organisms.
Animals

 What is the advantage of having no cell wall?

  Multicellular bodies
 Cells have:
 A nucleus
 Cell walls made of cellulose
Plants  Chloroplasts
 Autotrophs - carry out photosynthesis
using chlorophyll.
  Usually multicellular, but some (e.g., yeast)
are unicellular (single-celled).
 Body made up of filaments called hyphae.
 Have eukaryotic cells.
 Cell walls present, but not made of
Fungi cellulose (chitin).
 Digest waste organic matter outside their
bodies and then absorb it into their cells.
Saprotrophic/parasitic nutrition – a type of
heterotrophy
 Reproduce by forming spores.
  Most are unicellular, but some (such as seaweed species)
are simple multicellular (no specialized tissues).
 All cells have a true nucleus (eu-karyote).
 Some have plant-like cells with chloroplasts and cell
walls (E.g., algae and seaweed). Feed by photosynthesis.
 Others have animal-like cells (E.g., amoeba, malaria
parasite) with no cell wall. Feed on organic substances
Protoctista made by other organisms.

Note:
 This is a catch-all group where any eukaryotic organism
that is not a plant, animal or fungus is placed.
 This is why some protoctists show animal-like features,
while some have plant-like features.
  Unicellular
 Have no nucleus – Genetic material is not enclosed in
a nuclear membrane.
Prokaryot  Circular loop of DNA which floats freely in cytoplasm.

es  Have cell walls (not made of cellulose)

 No mitochondria (or other membrane-bound
organelles)
 They often have plasmids.
Examples of
bacteria
(Just FYI)
​ Nucleus ​ Cellularity ​ Cell Wall ​ Nutrition ​

choose ​ prokaryotic unicellular/ ​ present/ auto/hetero/​

between ​ /​ multicellular ​ absent ​ saprotrophic​
eukaryotic​

Animals ​ eukaryotic ​ multicellular ​ absent ​ heterotrophi

c​

Plants ​ eukaryotic ​ multicellular ​ present​ autotrophic​​

Fungi ​ eukaryotic ​ (most) multicellular/​ present​ heterotrophi

(some) unicellular ​ c
- saprotrophi
c​

Protoctista ​ eukaryotic ​ (most) unicellular/​ absent/​ autotrophic/​

(some) present​ heterotrophi
simple multicellular ​ c​

Prokaryote prokaryotic unicellular ​ present ​ autotrophic/​

Plant
Kingdom
How it fits
together
(Just FYI)
Ferns
Plants with roots,
stems and leaves
Leaves are called
fronds
Do not produce
flowers
Do not produce
seeds
Reproduce
by spores (present
on underside of
fronds)
Flowering
Plants

Plants with roots,

stem and leaves.
Reproduce
sexually by
means of flowers
and seeds.
Seeds are
produced inside
the ovary, in the
flower.
 Feature Monocots Dicots
Roots Fibrous root Tap root system
system Main root with
Roots grow out side roots.
directly from
Types of stem.
Flowering Vascular Random/ Arranged in a
Plants Bundles in scattered circular, ring
stem arrangement pattern
Leaves & leaves with leaves with
Veins parallel veins branched veins
forming a
network.
No. of In multiples of 3 In multiples of 4
flower parts or 5
 Vascular bundl
Seeds Leaf venation Roots Floral parts
es in stem
Scattered Fibrous root Usually in
One cotyledon Parallel veins
arrangement system multiples of 3

Monocot

Usually
Ring
Two cotyledons Network of veins Taproot system in multiples of 4
arrangement
or 5

Dicot
Monocot
or dicot?
Give only A B
features that
are present
and visible.
Animal
Kingdom
Invertebrates: Animals without a
backbone
Vertebrates: Animals with a backbone
Invertebrate
s
(Just FYI)
Phylum Arthropoda

Characteristic features:
Jointed legs
Body covered by waterproof chitinous
exoskeleton
Segmented body
 INSECT ARACHNIDS CRUSTACEANS MYRIAPOD
S S

BODY
DIVISIONS

Comparing NO. OF LEGS

Arthropod ANTENNAE

Classes WINGS

BREATHING

Note: Body divisions ≠ body

 INSECTS ARACHNIDS CRUSTACEANS MYRIAPODS

BODY Head, Cephalothor Cephalothora Body

DIVISIONS thorax ax and x and divided into
and abdomen abdomen head and
abdomen many
segments
JOINTED LEGS 3 pairs 4 pairs 5 pairs of Many pairs
walking legs of legs
ANTENNAE 1 pair - 2 pairs 1 pair

WINGS 2 pairs of - - -
wings
BREATHING Breathing Gills called Gills Breathing
holes book lungs holes called
called spiracles
spiracles connected
connected to tracheae
to
tracheae
Spiracles
 AMPHIBIAN
​ FISH​​ REPTILES​​ BIRDS​​ MAMMALS​​
S​​
BODY COVERING ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

LOCOMOTORY ORGAN
​ ​ ​ ​ ​
S​

BREATHING​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

REPRODUCTION ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

OTHER POINTS

Vertebrates
​ FISH​​ AMPHIBIANS​​ REPTILES​​ BIRDS​​ MAMMALS​​
BODY ​ skin moist​ dry, feathers & fur/hair​​
COVERING​​ covered in skin without leathery scales on Skin has sweat
scales scales​ scales legs glands
LOCOMOTORY​ multiple 4 legs (adults)​ 4 legs ​ 2 wings 4 limbs (arms/legs/​
ORGANS​ fins​​ fins (tadpoles)​ [absent in sna and 2 legs​​ flippers)​​
kes]​​
​
BREATHING​​ gills​​ lungs (adults)​ lungs​ lungs​ lungs​(with
gills (tadpoles)​ diaphragm)
REPRODUCTI eggs eggs eggs with eggs give birth
ON​​ without without shells, soft shells, with hard to young, fed
shells, laid laid in water ​ laid on land​ shells, laid using mammary glan
in water on land​ ds ​

Other points tadpoles have beak have:

undergo 1. ear flap/Pinna
metamorpho 2. different types of
- -
sis to become teeth
adults. 3. uterus and
placenta
Jelly covered eggs
Dichotomou
s Keys

Two
possible
decisions at
each
junction
Example
2
Making a dichotomous key

• Avoid using features that could be tricks of the camera:

• Generic terms such as ‘big’ or ‘small’ are not useful.
• Colour is also subjective and depends on the photograph.

• Useful in keys:
• Comparative descriptors
• Quantitative descriptors
• Simple identification of the presence or absence of external
features

• What is a Dichotomous Key | Step-by-Step Guide with Editabl

e Templates (creately.com)
 Constructing
Keys
◦ Biologists use dichotomous keys
to identify different species.
◦ Describe one visible feature of
each species of fish A, B, C and D,
that could be used to distinguish
it from the other three species.
◦ Only use descriptions of the
features labelled in Fig. 4.1 in
your answers.
Answers