BIOLOGY- CHAPTER 1

Characteristics of living things

Living organisms have seven features or characteristics which make them

different from non living organisms
These characteristics are:
Movement- is the action by an organism or a part of an organism resulting
in change of position or place
Respiration- it is a chemical process which supplies us with energy in the
form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) for metabolism
Sensitivity- the ability to detect stimuli in the internal or external
environment to make appropriate responses

Growth- the permanent increase in size and dry mass of cell number or
cell size
Reproduction- a process in which offsprings are made or the processes
that make more of the same kind of organism
Excretion- removal of nitrogenous waste material from an organism which
could be toxic material. (urine is the main removal passage. feces, sweat
and tears are also part of this system)
Nutrition- taking in of materials for energy, growth and development

Extra notes- Metabolism-: all the chemical reactions in our body. The two
types of metabolism are anabolism and catabolism
Anabolism- to make large molecules from small molecules
Catabolism- breaking down of large cells into small cells.

In addition to these seven characteristics, living organisms have another

feature in common.
. These cells all have:
♦ cytoplasm
♦ a cell membrane
♦ a chemical called DNA, making up their genetic material
♦ ribosomes, which are used for making proteins inside the cell
♦ enzymes that are used to help the cell to carry out anaerobic respiration.

Classification

Classification means putting things into groups. We classify organisms

based on their similarities. The main reason for classifying living things is to
make it easier to study them. Classification can help to derive our
ancestors (using dna). DNA is the chemical from which our chromosomes
are made. It is the genetic material, passed on from one generation to the
next.

-The classification system -

Mnemonic to remember the classification hierarchy :

King kingdom
Philip phylum
Came class
Over order
For family
Grand genus
Supper species

There are 5 kingdoms

1. Prokaryotes:
● Unicellular
● have no nucleus
● have cell walls, not made of cellulose, made of peptidoglycan
● have no mitochondria
They were the first cells to show up on earth. (only bacteria fit in this
kingdom)

2. Protoctista:
● Most are unicellular, some are multicellular
● Some are autotrophic, some are heterotrophic
● Some feed by photosynthesis and others feed on organic
matter
● cells may or may not have a cell wall and chloroplasts
● Cells have a nucleus
● Eg: amoeba
● They divide by binary fission ( asexual reproduction by a separation
of the body into two new bodies.)
3. Fungi
● Multicellular, except yeast
● Heterotrophic
● Cell walls made of chitin
● They have a lot of digestive enzymes making them efficient
saprotrophs
● Reproduce by spore formation and budding (asexual)
● Don't have chlorophyll
● Have nuclei
 ● Feed by saprophytic or parasitic nutrition
Saprophytic- feed on dead decaying organisms and cells
Parasitic- feed on living organisms or cells

4. Plantae
● Multicellular
● Autotrophic

● Absorbs sunlight to make food (photosynthesis)

● Cell walls made of cellulose

The plantae kingdom is divided into two parts:

Gymnosperms: non flowering plants
Angiosperms: flowering plants

It is divided further:
Gymnosperms are divided into mosses and ferns
Angiosperms are divided into monocots and dicots

Monocots Dicotos
Cotyledons 1 2
Leaf veins parallel netted
Leaf shape Long and Broad
narrow
Grouping of flower plants In threes In fives

5. Animalia

● Eukaryotic cells (complex cells containing organelles)

● Divided into into 2 groups according to presence or absence of
vertebrae
Invertebrates- without backbone
 vertebrates - with backbone
● Divided into five groups: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds,
mammals

a) Fish
● Aquatic
● Cold blooded
● Covered with wet and slimy scales
● Fins for balance and to control movement

b) Amphibians
● Cold blooded
● Moist scaleless skin
● 4 legs
● larva has gills, adults have lungs.
● External fertilization

c) Reptiles
● Cold blooded
● Body covered with dry hard scales
● Live on land
● Breathe using lungs
● External fertilization

d) Mammals
● Warm blooded
● Hair or fur on their skin
● Females have mammary glands for producing milk
● Lungs for breathing
● Internal fertilization

e) Birds
● Warm blooded
● vertebrates with feathers
● forelimbs become wings
 ● Endothermic
● Beak for feeding

*external fertilization- is a mode of reproduction in which a male

organism's sperm fertilizes a female organism's egg outside of
the female's body.

~Arthropods~

Arthropods are animals with jointed legs, but no backbone.

They are a very successful group, because they have a waterproof
exoskeleton that has allowed them to live on dry land. They also have a
segmented body.
It is divided into 4 classes:

1. Crustaceans
● arthropods with more than four pairs of jointed legs
● Breathes through gills
● Compound eyes
● Two pairs of antenna

2. Arachnids
● Four pairs of legs
● breathe through gills called book lungs.
● Land dwelling organisms

3. myriapods
● Ten or more pair of legs
● One pair of antenna
● body consists of many segments
● Each segment has jointed legs.

4. Insects
● 3 pairs of jointed legs
 ● Two pairs of wings
● body divided into head, thorax and abdomen
● breathe through tracheae

~magnification~

length in drawing
magnification= ----------------------------
-
length of real spider

size of real object = . size