Biology Class: Grouping of Living Things

Study Notes

Classification of Living Things

Classification helps identify and study living things systematically using a key based on key features
Grouping living things by their characteristics, such as external features

Classifying Animals

Vertebrates: have a backbone (e.g. snake)
Invertebrates: do not have a backbone (e.g. snail, octopus)

Classifying Vertebrates

Fish: have slimy scales, gills, and fins (e.g. mudskipper, seahorse)
Amphibians: have moist skin, lay eggs in fresh water, and no scales (e.g. salamander)
Birds: have beak, wings, and lay eggs (e.g. eagle)
Reptiles: have hard dry scales, lay shelled eggs (e.g. turtle)
Mammals: have hair, mammary glands, and give birth to live young (e.g. walrus)

Classifying Plants

Seed plants: produce seeds (e.g. dandelion, fruits, pea)
Seedless plants: do not produce seeds (e.g. fern, produce spores)
Flowering plants: produce seeds, flowers, and fruits (e.g. cotton tree, Bauhinia, orange tree)
Non-flowering plants: produce seeds, but no flowers or fruits (e.g. pine, produce pine cones only)

Living Things and Habitat

Habitat: the natural environment where a living thing lives
Adaptation: special body features that help living things survive in their habitats (e.g. color for camouflage)

Biodiversity

Biodiversity: the existence of many kinds of living things
Tropical rainforests and coral reefs have the greatest biodiversity
Ecosystem: all living things in a habitat interact with each other and the environment
Interdependence: all living things in an ecosystem rely on each other

Importance of Living Things

Plants: provide food, shelter, oxygen, and hold soil
Microorganisms: break down dead plants and animals, turn into nutrients, and allow plants to absorb
Animals: keep soil fertile, provide food, feed on nectar, and spread pollen

Human Dependence on Living Things

Humans rely on plants and animals for resources such as food, raw materials, and medicines

Reduction in Biodiversity

Causes of reduction in biodiversity: human activities, leading to extinction of animals
Examples of human activities: destruction of habitat, over-hunting, pollution
Endangered species: kinds of living things that are in danger of becoming extinct (e.g. bluefin tuna, black-faced spoonbill, tiger)

Conservation

Conservation: protecting the environment and biodiversity of the Earth
Ways to conserve:
- Protecting wildlife and their habitats
- Supporting conservation programs
- Practicing the 3Rs principle (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)
- Using resources in a sustainable way (e.g. sustainable fishing method)

Description

This quiz covers the classification of living things, including the use of keys to identify and study them. It also explores the classification of animals into vertebrates and invertebrates, and the grouping of vertebrates based on unique key features.