Characteristics & Classification of living things Chapter 1

1. Classification
of living things

2. Characteristics of living things
 Movement
 Respiration
 Sensitivity/Irritability
 Growth
 Reproduction
 Excretion
 Nutrition

3. characteristic Definition
Movement The ability to change position of part or all the body
Respiration The break down of food molecules inside living cells to
release energy
Sensitivity The ability to sense and respond to changes in the internal or
external environment.
Growth The permanent increase in (dry) mass, size and/or number of
cells.
Reproduction The ability to produce organisms of the same kind.
Excretion The removal of metabolic wastes, toxic molecules and
substances in excess of requirement from the body
Nutrition Taking in substances needed for growth, respiration and
repair.

4. Why do we need to classify
living things?
 There are over 1.4 million different species of
discovered organisms on earth. We classify
them to make studying them easier.
 Organisms are divided into five large groups
called kingdoms.

5. kingdoms
animals plants Bacteria fungi protoctists

6. Animals

7. Plants

8. Bacteria

9. Fungi

10. Protoctists
Amoeba
Euglena
Paramecium

11.  We still find that in each group there may be
organisms that are very different such as ants and
giraffes in the animal kingdom.
 That is why each kingdom is divides into smaller groups
called phyla (singular: phylum).
 Each phylum is divided into several classes, then a class is
divide into orders, then family, then genus and finally the
smallest group is called species.
 Kingdom>phylum>class>order>family>genus>species.
 Try to remember them using this sentence:
 King Philip cut oranges for good students.

12. Animal kingdom
 Animals are either vertebrates (have a back
bone) or invertebrate (without a back bone).
 Vertebrates are divided into five classes.

13. vertebrates
Fish Amphibians
Reptiles
Bird
s
Mammals

14. Fish Amphibians Reptiles Birds Mammals
Body covering
Limbs
Ears
Eggs
Other
features

15. Fish Amphibians Reptiles Birds Mammals
Body
covering
Moist scales Moist,
smooth skin
Dry and
rough scales
Feathers on
body, scales
on legs
Hair/ fur or
whiskers
Limbs Fins instead
of limbs
Young: fins
Adult: 4
limbs
4 limbs 4 Limbs
(2 wings, 2
legs)
4 limbs
Ears
lateral line
that feels
vibrations
Eardrum on
the surface
of the skin
A hole
leading to
the
eardrum
A hole
leading to
the
eardrum
An external
ear
Eggs
Lay eggs in
the water
covered
with jelly
Lay eggs in
the water
covered
with jelly
Lay eggs on
land with
rubbery
shells
Lay eggs on
land with
hard shells
Give birth
to their
young

18. Insects Arachnids Crustaceans Myriapods
Body segments
Number of legs
Antenna
Other features
Common features They all have: 1. Segmented bodies 2. Jointed legs 3. A hard exoskeleton

19. Insects Arachnids Crustaceans Myriapods
Body segments 3 body
segments
2 body
segments
2 body
segments
Many body
segments
Number of legs 3 pairs of legs 4 pairs of legs More than 4
pairs of legs
Many pairs of
legs
Antenna 1 pair none 2 pairs 1 pair
Other features Some have
wings
Some have
poisonous
glands
Some have a
very hard
exoskeleton
None
Common features They all have: 1. Segmented bodies 2. Jointed legs 3. A hard exoskeleton

21. Compound
eyes help
some
arthropods to
see in low
light
intensities
and can easily
spot
movement.

22. Molting in insects

23. Non-Flowering plants
 Ferns reproduce by spores
 Produce flowers to make seeds.
 Monocotyledons
 Dicotyledons
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Flowering plants

24. monocotyledons
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25. Dicotyledons
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26. Point of
comparison
Monocotyledons Dicotyledons
Cotyledons One Two
Leaves Long, narrow with parallel
veins
Short, broad with
networked/branched
veins
Roots Fibrous root Tap root
Flower parts Arranged in groups of
three
Arranged in groups of 4,
or 5

27. DNA code
 Scientists used to classify organisms according to
their morphology (external structure) and anatomy
(internal structure).
 A new way to put organisms into groups is by
comparing their codes on the DNA.
 Humans share the same 99.5% of their DNA, the
remaining 0.5% causes the variation we see in
humans. Humans and Chimpanzees share the
same 98.8% of their DNA.
 DNA could also be used to make links between an
organism and its ancestor.
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