Classification of Living Things

Study Notes

Classification of Living Things

Scientists classify living things based on shared characteristics.
Carl Linnaeus developed the binomial system of classification in the 18th century. This system uses two Latin names to identify each species.
For example, humans are Homo sapiens.

Kingdoms

Organisms are classified into five kingdoms based on: cell structure (single or multicellular), how they obtain nutrients, and movement.
Two notable kingdoms are Animalia and Plantae.

Animal Kingdom

Contains approximately nine to ten million species.
All members are multicellular and obtain nutrition by consuming other organisms.
They can move using muscles or other means.
Divided into invertebrates and vertebrates.

Vertebrates

Mammals:
- Examples include cows, mice, and humans.
- Feed young with milk.
- Characteristics may include hair, live birth, regulating body temperature, and red blood cells without nuclei.
- About 5,500 species worldwide.
Birds:
- Examples include sparrows, chickens, and ostriches.
- Have wings and feathers.
- Lay hard-shelled eggs.
- Adaptations may include flight, beaks suited for specific diets, and hollow bones.
- About 10,000 species worldwide.
Fish:
- Examples include cod, sharks, and salmon.
- Live in water and have gills for breathing.
- Cold-blooded (cannot regulate temperature).
- Swim using tails and fins.
- Covered in scales.
- Lay many soft eggs outside the body.
- About 32,000 species worldwide.
Reptiles:
- Examples include iguanas, tortoises, and crocodiles.
- Breathe air and are cold-blooded.
- Lay soft, leathery eggs.
- Covered in scales.
- Have a cloaca (single opening for excretion and reproduction).
- About 8,700 species worldwide.
Amphibians:
- Examples include frogs, toads, and newts.
- Live both in water and on land.
- Moist, permeable skin allows gas exchange.
- Offspring develop in soft eggs, often laid in water.
- Undergo metamorphosis.
- About 8,100 species worldwide.

Invertebrates

Animals without backbones.
- Examples include arthropods (insects, spiders, crabs), mollusks (snails, octopuses, shellfish), nematodes (parasitic worms), and annelids (earthworms, leeches).

Plant Kingdom

Flowering Plants: This large group is further divided into monocots and dicots.
Non-Flowering Plants: Includes plants not in the flowering plant classification.

Other Kingdoms (from the text)

Fungi: A kingdom with its own set of characteristics
Prokaryotes: Single-celled organisms without a nucleus.
Protists: Diverse group of single-celled or simple multicellular organisms.

Description

Explore the classification of living organisms in this quiz, focusing on Carl Linnaeus' binomial system and the characteristics of the kingdoms of life. Test your knowledge on the Animal Kingdom, including vertebrates and mammals. Perfect for students learning about biology and taxonomy.