1.

1 Characteristics
of living organisms

LO: Describe the characteristics of living

organisms.
a) Movement is an action by an organism or part of an organism
causing a change of position or place.

(b) Respiration is the chemical reactions in cells that break down

nutrient molecules and release energy for metabolism.

(c) Sensitivity/Irritability is the ability to detect and respond to

changes in the internal or external environment.

(d) Growth is a permanent increase in size and dry mass.

(e) Reproduction is the processes that make more of the same
kind of organism.

(f) Excretion is the removal of the waste products of metabolism

and substances in excess of requirements.

(g) Nutrition is the taking in of materials for energy, growth and

development.
1.2 Concept and
uses of classification
systems
 Classification
Organisms can be classified into groups by the
features that they share.

Classification systems aim to reflect

evolutionary relationships.

The sequences of bases in DNA are used as a

means of classification.

Groups of organisms which share a more recent

ancestor (are more closely related) have base
sequences in DNA that are more similar than
those that share only a distant ancestor.
 Why classify?
Classification helps us identify things. In biology,
classification also helps demonstrate the
similarities between groups.

By classifying organisms it is also possible to

understand evolutionary relationships. By studying
the anatomy of different groups of vertebrates it is
possible to gain an insight into their evolution.

By classifying organisms it is possible to identify

those most at risk of extinction. Strategies can
then be put in place to conserve the threatened
species.
Kids King

prefer Philip

candy came

over over

fresh for

green good

salad soup
MAN AT THE 7 LEVELS
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Homo
Species sapiens
 Dichotomous keys
● Dichotomous keys are used to identify
unfamiliar organisms.
● Each key is made up of pairs of contrasting
features starting with quite general
characteristics and moving on to more specific
ones.
● When we follow the key and make suitable
choices it is possible to identify the organism
correctly.
 1.3 Features of
organisms

LO: List the main features used to place all

organisms into one of the five kingdoms:
Animal, Plant, Fungus, Prokaryote,
Protoctist.
 Prokaryotes
● These include bacteria and the blue-green algae.

● Single-celled;

● Chromosomes not organised into a nucleus.

● Loop of naked DNA

● No membrane-bound organelles
● Reproduce mainly by binary fission, but some can
reproduce sexually.
Prokaryotes

3 most
common
shapes of
prokaryotes
 Protoctists
● Include algae, seaweeds, amoeba,
plasmodium.
● Single-celled.
● Their chromosomes enclosed in a
nuclear membrane to form a nucleus.
● Have autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition.
● They are mobile due to either flagella,
cilia, or pseudopods (“false feet”).
Protoctists

Plant-like protists: –
Single celled algae
(diatoms).
Multicellular algae -
seaweeds

Animal-ike
protists -
protozoa
 Fungi
● Include organisms such as mushrooms, mould,
toadstools, puffballs, & bracket fungi.

● Most are made up of thread-like hyphae rather

than cells,
● Cytoplasm of hyphae are multinucleated.

● Can be parasitic, free-living or saprophytic.

● Reproduction by release of spores.
 Fungi Hyphae

Hyphae structure

Filamentous fungi
Baker’s yeast
In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual
reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and
for survival, often for extended periods of time, in
unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life
cycles of many plants, algae, fungi and protozoa.
 Plants
● Cells surrounded by a cellulose cell wall; Large
vacuole in mature cells.
● Have chlorophyll and chloroplasts.
● Mostly autotrophic by photosynthesis.
● Some are parasitic.
● Simple (non-vascular) plants include the mosses
and liverworts.
● Complex (vascular) plants include the flowering
plants, conifers and ferns.
 Ferns
● Are land plants with well-developed structures.
● Their stems, leaves and roots are very similar to
those of the flowering plants.
● The stem is usually completely below ground.
● The leaves of ferns vary from one species to
another but they are all several cells thick.
 Ferns
● Produce gametes but no seeds.
● The zygote gives rise to the fern plant, which
then produces single-celled spores from many
sporangia (spore capsules) on its leaves.
● The sporangia are formed on the lower side of
the leaf, but their position depends on the
species of fern.
● The sporangia are usually arranged in compact
groups.
 Vascular, seed forming
flowering plants:
Angiosperms

Dicotyledons Monocotyledons
 Animals
● Multicellular organisms whose cells have
no cell walls or chloroplasts
● Heterotrophic nutrition.
● Have muscles and nervous systems – in
order to search for, locate and digest
food.
● Most have a gut which they use to ingest
solid food and digest it internally.
 Animals
● The next three slides show 9 animal
phyla in which each has over 10,000
species.
● Phylum Porifera –
includes the sponges.

● Phylum Cnidaria –
includes the jellyfish.

● Phylum Platyhelminthes
– includes the
flatworms, tapeworms
and flukes.
• Phylum Nematoda–
includes the
roundworms.

• Phylum Mollusca –
includes the snails,
slugs, squid and
octopus.

• Phylum Annelida–
segmented worms,
earthworms, leaches.
• Phylum Echinodermata–
includes the starfish, sea
urchins, sea cucumbers.

• Phylum Arthropoda –
includes the insects,
arachnids, crustaceans,
myriapods.

• Phylum Chordata–
includes the fishes,
amphibians, reptiles, birds,
mammals.
Broader Classification
of Animals
● Invertebrates: e.g Arthropods
● Vertebrates
 Vertebrates
● Fish
● Amphibia (frogs, toads, newts)
● Reptiles (lizards, snakes, turtles)
● Birds
● Mammals (Insectivores, Carnivores,
Rodents, Primates)
 Arthropods - General Features
● The name arthropod means ‘jointed limbs’, and
this is a feature common to them all.

● They also have a hard, firm external skeleton,

called a cuticle, which encloses their bodies.

● Their bodies are segmented and, between the

segments, there are flexible joints which permit
movement.
● In most arthropods, the segments are grouped
together to form distinct regions, the head,
thorax and abdomen.
 Arthropods - Classes

● Myriapods
● Insects
● Crustaceans
● Arachnids
Arthropods - Classes
 Vertebrates
● Are animals which have a vertebral column.
● The vertebral column consists of a chain of
cylindrical bones (vertebrae) joined end to end.
● Each vertebra carries an arch of bone on its
dorsal (upper) surface.
● This arch protects the spinal cord, which runs
most of the length of the vertebral column.
● The front end of the spinal cord is expanded to
form a brain, which is enclosed and protected by
the skull.
● The skull carries a pair of jaws which, in most
vertebrates, contain rows of teeth.
Vertebrates - Main Classes