Form 2 Chapter 3: BIODIVERSITY

3.1 Variety of Living Things

and Their Classification

Living things are classified based on their common characteristics. The living things
within the same class have similar features or characteristics.

Biodiversity is the variety of different

Organisms

types of organisms found in the Earth.

These organisms (living things) can
be either animals, plants or even
microorganisms such as bacteria.

Animals

Plants

The differences that exist between the

same species of living things are called
variations.
Scientists classify millions of

Classification of Animals
Classification of animal kingdom

organisms on Earth so that they can

Animals

Confirm when a new species has

been identified
Identity the relationships between
organisms
Recognise similarities and
differences between organisms

Vertebrates

Invertebrates

(with backbones)

(without backbones)

Communicate with one another

easily about the organisms on
Earth.

Mammals

Reptiles

Fish

Birds

Amphibians

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Vertebrates
Vertebrates are animals with backbones. They have internal skeletons made of bone and cartilage.
Warm-blooded vertebrates maintain their body temperatures at a constant level. Cold-blooded vertebrates have body temperatures that
change according to the temperature of their surroundings.
Internal fertilisation is where eggs are fertilised internally and young develop inside the females body. External fertilisation is where eggs
are fertilised and the young develop outside the females body.
Class of
vertebrates
Habitat
Type of blood
Characteristic
of body

Fish

Amphibians

Reptiles

Birds

Water
Cold-blooded
- Skin with hard,
slimy scales for
protection
- Have fins and tails
to swim in water

Water and land

Cold-blooded
Soft, moist, exposed
skin without scales

Water and land

Cold-blooded
Skin with dry and
scales to prevent loss
of water

Land
Warm-blooded
- Have feathers
- Have beaks,
clawed feet and
wings, and most
of them can fly

Breathing
organ

Gills

Lungs

Lungs

Method of
reproduction

- Lay eggs (sharks

give birth to young)
- Mostly eggs
without shells, laid in
water
External fertilisation

- Gills (tadpole stage)

- Lungs & moist skin
(adult stage)
- Lay eggs
- Jelly-covered eggs
without shells, usually
laid in water
External fertilisation

- Lay eggs
- Eggs with leathery
shells, usually laid on
land (rattle snakes
give birth to young)
Internal fertilisation

Toad, Frog, Newt,

Salamander

Snake, Crocodile,
Turtle, Lizard

- Lay eggs
- Eggs with hard
shells, laid on
land, normally in
the nest
Internal
fertilisation
Bird, Chicken,
Duck, Penguin

Type of
fertilisation
Examples of
animals

Eel, Fish, Stingray,

Seahorse

Mammals
Land
Warm-blooded
- Skin with fur or hair
- Have external ears
- Have sweat glands
- Females have mammary
(milk) glands to produce
milk for the young
Lungs

Give birth to young

Internal fertilisation
Cat, Rabbit, Goat, Whale,
Bat, Porcupine

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Unusual characteristics of some mammals

The classification of vertebrates are based on their common

Bats have wings and fly like a bird

characteristics such as:

Whales and dolphin live in water like fish

Habitat (water or land)

Pangolin have dry scales on their bodies like reptiles

Body temperature (warm-blooded or cold-blooded)

Platypus lay eggs and have beaks like ducks (bird)

Body covering (hair, fur, scales or feathers)

Porcupines have spines covering their bodies for

Breathing organs (gills, lungs or skin)

Method of reproduction (laying eggs or giving birth)

protection

Types of fertilisation (internal or external fertilisation)

Example 1
Vertebrates
Warm-blooded

Have feathers

Birds

Cold-blooded

Do not have feathers

Mammals

Have gills when fully grown

Fish

Have lungs when fully grown

Moist skin with no scales

Scaly skin

Amphibians
(frog)

Reptiles
(crocodile)

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Example 2
Vertebrates

Without feathers

With feathers

Birds

With hair or fur

Mammals

Without hair or fur

With fins

Fish

Without fins

With scales

Without scales

Reptiles

Amphibians

Invertebrates
Invertebrates are animals without backbones.
Over 90% of the species in the animal kingdom are invertebrates.
Most of the invertebrates are small and have simple body structures
Some invertebrates have hard external skeleton for protection such as crab and beetle.
Some invertebrates with soft bodies use their body fluids for support like earth worms and leeches.

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Invertebrates can also be classified based on their common characteristics, such as:
Body type (worm-like or not worm-like)
Outer body coverings (shells, exposed skin or hard skin)
Number of legs ( three, four or more pairs of legs)
Body segmentation ( segmented or not segmented)

Invertebrates

With jointed legs

3 pairs of legs
Examples: Ant, bee,
beetle, butterfly

4 pairs of legs
Examples: Spider,
scorpion, mites

Without jointed legs

More than 4 pairs of legs

Examples: Millipide,
centipide, crab, prawn

Segmented body
Examples:
Earthworm,
flatworm, leeches

Non-segmented body
Examples: Snail, octupus,
shelfish, jellyfish

System of classification of plants

Plants can be classified into two main groups: flowering plants and non-flowering plants
Flowering plant produces flowers, seeds and fruits. The flowers normally become fruits. Flowering plant produces fruits for reproduction.
Flowering plants consists of four main parts: roots, stem, leaves and flowers.
Flowering plants are divided into dicotyledons and monocotyledons.

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Plants

Flowering plants

Non-flowering plants

(produce flowers, fruits or seeds)

(do not produce flowers)

Have true roots,

stems and leaves

Monocotyledons

Dicotyledons

(one seed leaf)

(two seed leaves)

Grass, paddy,
sugar cane, banana

Hibiscus, balsam plant,

rubber tree, rose shrub

Do not have true roots,

stems and leaves

Conifers

Ferns

(have cones)

(have spores)

Mosses

Fibrous roots

Scattered vascular bundle

(soft)

Parallel veins

Flower petals in
multiples of three

Seed
Two cotyledon

Root
Tap roots

Stem
Vascular bundle arranged
in a circle (woody)

Leaf
Network veins

Flower
Flower petals in
multiples of four or five

Dicotyledons

Monocotyledons

One cotyledon

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Non-flowering plants do not produce flowers, fruits and seeds.

These plants reproduce by spores, cones or binary fission
Non-flowering plants are divided into algae, mosses, ferns and conifers
Non-flowering
Algae
plants
Habitat
In water or damp places
on land
Chlorophyll
Present
Reproduction Binary fission
Type of stem,
leaf and root
Example

Does not have real stem,

leaf and root
Spirogyra,
chlamydomonas, seaweed

Mosses

Ferns

In damp places, such as tree

stumps, stones or moist drains
Present
Spores, found in capsules that
are held up by thin stalks
Has simple stems, tiny leaves
but no real roots
Hair-cap moss, club moss, white
moss, liverwort

In moist and shady places,

such as forest floors
Present
Spores, found in clusters
on the underside of leaves
Has stem, leaf and root
Birds nest fern, rabbit foot
fern, staghorn fern

Conifers
On land
Present
Seeds in cones
Has woody stem, needlelike leaves and true roots
Pine, cycad, casuarine

Importance of maintaining the biodiversity

Malaysia is one of the 12 mega biodiversity countries in the
world.
The importance of biodiversity
Source of clean air
Plants supply oxygen to and absorb carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere
Source of clean water
Forests and wetlands supply clean water by continuous
filtration
Source of medicines
Some plants are used in modern and traditional
medicines to treat diseases

Source of food
Plants and animals are sources of food to humans
Source of raw materials
Trees and plants provide raw materials for timber, textile
and paper industries
Source of shelter
Some plants provide shelters (habitats) to many species
of birds, mammals and insects
Biodiversity is our natural heritage that should be preserved by
Educating the public
Protecting threatened species
Protecting and managing natural habitats
Using natural resources and biodiversity wisely

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