ch 1 - characteristics & classification of organisms

• The characteristics of life are movement, reproduction, sensitivity, growth & development, respiration, excretion and nutrition.
• nutrition

  take in materials for energy and growth
• respiration

  the break down of nutrient molecules in cells to release energy for metabolism
• excretion

  removal of metabolic waste product
• growth and development

  increase in dry mass and size(growth), complex changed in form (development)
• movement

  ability to change position/place (locomotion)
• reproduction

  to make more of the same kind
• sensitivity

  detect and respond to environmental changes
• hierarchy of organisms: kingdoms > phyla > classes > orders > families > genera > species
• Kingdoms of organisms: prokaryotes, protocists, fungi, plantae, animalia
• prokaryotes are unicellular and have no nucleus or membrane bound structures.
• protocists are aquatic, unicellar/multicellar and have membrane bound structures.
• fungi are unicellar/multicellar, have cell walls, but do not contain chlorophyll.
• plantae are multicellar and contain chlorophyll.
• animalia are multicellar, have a nucleus, but do not have chlorophyll or a cell wall.
• Main Features of All Animals:

  • Multicellular
  • It contains a nucleus but no cell walls or chloroplasts
  • Only feed on organic substances made by other living things
• • Mammals
  • Fur/hair on the skin
  • External ears (pinna)
  • Internal fertilisation, giving the birth of young
  • Mammary glands
• • Reptiles
  • Thick, dry, scaly skin
  • Usually four legs
  • Internal fertilisation, conception from egg
  • Soft-shelled eggs
• • Fish
  • Wet scales
  • Streamlined body shape
  • External fertilisation and soft eggs
  • Uses gills to breathe
• • Amphibians
  • Smooth, moist skin
  • External fertilisation and soft eggs
  • Gills & Lungs can live on land and water
  • Most have four legs
• • Birds
  • Feathers on body and scales on legs
  • Constant internal body temperature
  • Hard eggs
  • Internal fertilisation, birth through eggs
• All arthropods have three standard features:

  1. Exoskeleton
  2. Jointed legs
  3. Segmented body
• • Crustaceans: (e.g crabs)
  • Have an exoskeleton, one pair of compound eyes
  • Two body segments – cephalothorax, abdomen
  • More than four pairs of legs
• • Arachnids: (e.g spiders)
  • Two body segments – cephalothorax and abdomen
  • Four pairs of legs
• • Myriapods: (e.g. centipedes)
  • One pair of antennae
  • 10+ pairs of legs – 1 or 2 pairs on each segment
• • Insects: (e.g. bees)
  • Three body segments – head, thorax and abdomen
  • Three pairs of jointed legs
  • One pair of antennae
  • 1 or 2 pairs of wings
• • Ferns:
  • Do not produce flowers/seeds
  • Plants with roots, stems and feathery leaves
  • Reproduce by spores
• • Flowering plants:
  • Plants with roots, stems and leaves
  • Reproduce by flowers and seeds
• two types of flowering plants

  A) one

  B) one seed

  C) parallel

  D) long narrow

  E) two

  F) two seed

  G) branching

  H) broad

  I) eg: sugarcane

  J) eg: hibiscus