Characteristics and classification of living organisms
● Describe the characteristics of living organisms by describing:
○ movement as an action by an organism or part of an organism causing a change of
position or place
○ respiration as the chemical reactions in cells that break down nutrient molecules and
release energy for metabolism
○ sensitivity as the ability to detect and respond to changes in the internal or external
environment
○ growth as a permanent increase in size and dry mass
■ Development
■
○ reproduction as the processes that make more of the same kind of organism
○ excretion as the removal of the waste products of metabolism and substances in excess of
requirements
○ nutrition as the taking in of materials for energy, growth and development
● State that organisms can be classified into groups by the features that they share
● Explain that classification systems aim to reflect evolutionary relationships
● Describe a species as a group of organisms that can reproduce to produce fertile offspring
● Describe the binomial system of naming species as an internationally agreed system in which the
scientific name of an organism is made up of two parts showing the genus and species
● Explain that the sequences of bases in DNA are used as a means of classification
○
● Explain that 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
● State the main features used to place all organisms into one of the five kingdoms: animal, plant,
fungus, prokaryote, protoctist
○ Animals
■ Multicellular
■ Have organ systems
■ Eukaryotes
■ Without cell walls or plastid
■ Has nuclear membrane
■ Heterotrophic
○ Plants
■ Multicellular
■ Have organ systems
, ■ Eukaryotes
■ Cellulose cell wall
■ Chloroplast present
■ autotrophic/ photosynthetic
○ Fungus
■ Multicellular
■ Have loose tissue
■ Eukaryotes
■ Chitin cell wall
■ Have nuclear membrane
■ saprophytic/parasitic
■ Fungi are made up of thread like hyphae that spread out as the fungus grows.
■ Multinucleated
○ Protoctist
■ Unicellular
■ Eukaryote
■ Cell wall present
■ Has nuclear membrane
■ Autotrophic or heterotrophic
■ Linear chromosomes
■ Membrane bound organelles present
○ Prokaryotes
■ Unicellular
■ Prokaryotes
■ Peptidoglycan cell wall
■ No nuclear membrane
■ Autotrophic or heterotrophic
■ Circular DNA
■
● State the main features used to place organisms into groups within the animal kingdom, limited
to:
○ Vertebrates
○
○ Mammals
, ■
■ Give birth to live young
■ Sweat glands
■ Sebaceous glands
■ Warm blooded
■ Covered in fur/hair
■ Have lungs for breathing
○ Birds
■
■ warm blooded
■ Legs and beak covered with scales
■ Forelimbs are wings
■ The vertebral column is merged to form a rigid structure which provides wings
the rigid frame they need to work against
■ Lungs for breathing
■ Sexual reproduction
■ Internal fertilisation
■ Incubates hard-shelled eggs
○ Reptiles
■
■ Cold blooded
■ 4 legs with 5 toes
■ Lungs for breathing
■ Sexual reproduction
■ Internal fertilization
○ Amphibians
, ■
■ Cold-blooded
■ Four limbs with hind legs webbed to make swimming more efficient
○ Fish
■ Cold-blooded
■ Covered in overlapping scales
■ Have smooth, streamlined body
■ Use fins to move and navigate
■ Breath using filamentous gills
■ Gills are protected by bony plate called operculum
● All arthropods
○
● The main groups of arthropods: myriapods, insects, arachnids, crustaceans
○ Insects
■ Three pairs of jointed legs
■ Body divided into three segments
● Head
● Thorax
● Abdomen
■ 1 pair of antennae
■ 1 pair of compound eyes
■ Usually have 2 pairs of wings
○ Arachnids
■ Four pairs of jointed legs
■ Body divided into 2 parts
● Cephalothorax
● Abdomen
■ No antennae
■ Several pairs of simple eyes
■ Pair of pedipalps adapted for biting and poisoning prey and for reproduction
○ Crustaceans
■
● Describe the characteristics of living organisms by describing:
○ movement as an action by an organism or part of an organism causing a change of
position or place
○ respiration as the chemical reactions in cells that break down nutrient molecules and
release energy for metabolism
○ sensitivity as the ability to detect and respond to changes in the internal or external
environment
○ growth as a permanent increase in size and dry mass
■ Development
■
○ reproduction as the processes that make more of the same kind of organism
○ excretion as the removal of the waste products of metabolism and substances in excess of
requirements
○ nutrition as the taking in of materials for energy, growth and development
● State that organisms can be classified into groups by the features that they share
● Explain that classification systems aim to reflect evolutionary relationships
● Describe a species as a group of organisms that can reproduce to produce fertile offspring
● Describe the binomial system of naming species as an internationally agreed system in which the
scientific name of an organism is made up of two parts showing the genus and species
● Explain that the sequences of bases in DNA are used as a means of classification
○
● Explain that 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
● State the main features used to place all organisms into one of the five kingdoms: animal, plant,
fungus, prokaryote, protoctist
○ Animals
■ Multicellular
■ Have organ systems
■ Eukaryotes
■ Without cell walls or plastid
■ Has nuclear membrane
■ Heterotrophic
○ Plants
■ Multicellular
■ Have organ systems
, ■ Eukaryotes
■ Cellulose cell wall
■ Chloroplast present
■ autotrophic/ photosynthetic
○ Fungus
■ Multicellular
■ Have loose tissue
■ Eukaryotes
■ Chitin cell wall
■ Have nuclear membrane
■ saprophytic/parasitic
■ Fungi are made up of thread like hyphae that spread out as the fungus grows.
■ Multinucleated
○ Protoctist
■ Unicellular
■ Eukaryote
■ Cell wall present
■ Has nuclear membrane
■ Autotrophic or heterotrophic
■ Linear chromosomes
■ Membrane bound organelles present
○ Prokaryotes
■ Unicellular
■ Prokaryotes
■ Peptidoglycan cell wall
■ No nuclear membrane
■ Autotrophic or heterotrophic
■ Circular DNA
■
● State the main features used to place organisms into groups within the animal kingdom, limited
to:
○ Vertebrates
○
○ Mammals
, ■
■ Give birth to live young
■ Sweat glands
■ Sebaceous glands
■ Warm blooded
■ Covered in fur/hair
■ Have lungs for breathing
○ Birds
■
■ warm blooded
■ Legs and beak covered with scales
■ Forelimbs are wings
■ The vertebral column is merged to form a rigid structure which provides wings
the rigid frame they need to work against
■ Lungs for breathing
■ Sexual reproduction
■ Internal fertilisation
■ Incubates hard-shelled eggs
○ Reptiles
■
■ Cold blooded
■ 4 legs with 5 toes
■ Lungs for breathing
■ Sexual reproduction
■ Internal fertilization
○ Amphibians
, ■
■ Cold-blooded
■ Four limbs with hind legs webbed to make swimming more efficient
○ Fish
■ Cold-blooded
■ Covered in overlapping scales
■ Have smooth, streamlined body
■ Use fins to move and navigate
■ Breath using filamentous gills
■ Gills are protected by bony plate called operculum
● All arthropods
○
● The main groups of arthropods: myriapods, insects, arachnids, crustaceans
○ Insects
■ Three pairs of jointed legs
■ Body divided into three segments
● Head
● Thorax
● Abdomen
■ 1 pair of antennae
■ 1 pair of compound eyes
■ Usually have 2 pairs of wings
○ Arachnids
■ Four pairs of jointed legs
■ Body divided into 2 parts
● Cephalothorax
● Abdomen
■ No antennae
■ Several pairs of simple eyes
■ Pair of pedipalps adapted for biting and poisoning prey and for reproduction
○ Crustaceans
■
