Characteristics & Classification

• Movement is the action an organism makes to change place or position.
• Respiration is the chemical reaction in cells that break down nutrient molecules to release energy for metabolism.
• Sensitivity is the ability to sense internal and external changes (through stimuli) and react to them accordingly.
• Growth is the permanent increase in size and dry mass by an increase in cell number or size.
• Reproduction is the process that makes offspring of the same type of organism.
• Excretion is the removal of waste products from metabolism, toxic materials, and substances in excess.
• Nutrition is the taking in of materials for energy, growth and development.
• Definition of species: organisms that can reproduce to create fertile offspring.
• Organisms are classified depending on their internal features.
• Different organisms have similar features because they have one common ancestor.
• Originally organisms were classified using: morphology and anatomy.
• Organisms are now classified using their DNA sequencing.
• Organisms were first classified by the naturalist called Carl Linnaeus.
• In this system, species recieve their name using the genus (family) and specific epithet (specie).
• One of the most used classifying systems is the Linneaus' system.
• In the Linneaus classification, the order of specification is: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Genus, Species.
• The Genus is a group of related species with many common traits. eg: Felis
• The Order is a group of families with a common origin. eg: carnivora.
• The Class is a group of orders. In the classification there are 5 different classes for vertabrates. eg: mammals
• The Phylum is a group of organisms with the same distant ancestor. eg: vertebrates
• The Kingdom is a broad classification that separates organisms into 5 different groups.
• The 5 Kingdoms are:


  fungi, monerans (bacteria), plants, animals, protists (single-celled organisms).
• The Domain is the broadest category to classify living things. It is separated into 3 different groups.
• The 3 different domains are:


  eukaryotes, prokaryotes, archaea
• The 5 different classes for vertebrates are:

  mammals(wb), birds(wb), fish(cb), reptiles(cb), amphibians(cb)
• Eukaryotes are single-celled or multicellular life with nucleus and membrane bound organelles.
• Prokaryotes are single-celled organisms with no nucleus (DNA is loose) and no membrane bound organelles.
• Archea are ancient prokaryotes that don't need oxygen and have prokaryotic and eukaryotic DNA.
• The Linnaeus system used Latin to name the species and the name is made up of two parts: the genus (always starting with a capital letter), and then the species (with lower case letters). Binomial names are always in italic which shows they are in latin. eg: Homo sapiens (in italics)
• Vertebrate animals have a backbone / spinal chord
• Invertebrate animals have don't have a backbone but some do have an exoskeleton.
• There are 4 types of invertebrates: crustaceans, arachnids, insects, myriapods.
• The Animal Kingdom is the most evolved and is divided into two large groups: vertebrates and invertebrates.
• All organisms from the animal kingdom are:

  • multi-celled
  • heterotrophic (get nutrition from consuming other organisms)
  • eukaryotes with aerobic respiration (with oxygen)
  • sexual reproduction
  • have the ability to move
• Reptiles characteristics: (eg - snake, crocodile)

  • dry fixed scaly skin
  • lay eggs with rubbery shells on dry land
  • cold blooded
• Fish characteristics: (eg - shark, tuna)

  • have loose wet scales on their bodies
  • have gills for breathing
  • are cold blooded
  • lay eggs without a shell in water
• Amphibians characteristics: (eg - frog, newt)

  • moist slimy skin
  • lay eggs without shells in water
  • are cold blooded
  • adults usually live on land (so they have lungs)
• Birds characteristics: (eg - wren, swan)

  • body covered in feathers
  • have a pair of wings
  • have beaks
  • lay eggs with hard shells on land
  • warm blooded
• Mammals characteristics: (eg - cow, human)

  • body covered in fur or hair
  • feed young on milk
  • give birth to live young
  • are warm blooded
  • have a placenta
  • external visible ears
• All invertebrates with jointed legs belong to the same phylum: arthropods