IGCSE Biology Characteristics and Classification of Living Organisms Notes
IGCSE Biology Characteristics and Classification of Living Organisms Notes
IGCSE Biology Characteristics and Classification of Living Organisms Notes
CHARACTERISTICS AND
CLASSIFICATION OF
LIVING ORGANISMS
1.1 CHARACTERISTICS
OF LIVING
ORGANISMS
MRS GREN
1. Movement: an action by an organism or part of an organism causing a change of
position or place.
2. Respiration: the chemical reactions that break down nutrient molecules in living cells to
release energy for metabolism.
3. Sensitivity: the ability to detect or sense stimuli in the internal or external environment
and to make appropriate responses.
4. Growth: a permanent increase in size and dry mass by an increase in cell number or cell
size or both.
5. Reproduction: the processes that make more of the same kind of organism.
6. Excretion: the removal from organisms of toxic materials, the waste products of
metabolism (chemical reactions in cells including respiration) and substances in excess
of requirements.
7. Nutrition: the taking in of materials for energy, growth and development; plants require
light, carbon dioxide, water and ions; animals need organic compounds, ions and usually
need water.
1.2 CONCEPT & USE OF A CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
Organisms can be classified into groups by the features that they share.
* Morphology: the overall form, size and shape of their bodies e.g. wings or legs.
* Anatomy: the detailed INTERNAL body structure determined by dissection.
Binomial system: a system of naming species in which the scientific name of an organism
is made up of two parts showing the genus (starting with a capital letter) and species
(starting with a lower case letter), written in italics when printed (therefore underlined
when written) e.g. Homo sapiens.
Classification (Def): The scientific method of dividing
organisms into smaller and larger groups, on basis of
their similarities.
Each kingdom is divided into smaller group, which include genus and species.
Organisms can exist in only one group at each level of classification. For example, an
organism can only belong to one kingdom or one genus.
Each DNA molecule is made up of strings of smaller molecules containing four bases.
Biologists compare the sequences of the bases in the DNA of organisms from two
different species.
The more similar the base sequence, the more closely related the species are to one
another.
Organisms which share a more recent ancestor have base sequences in DNA that are
more similar than those that share only a distant ancestor.
The sequences of bases in DNA and of amino acids in proteins are used as a more
accurate means of classification.
•As technology advanced, microscopes, knowledge of biochemistry and eventually DNA
sequencing allowed us to classify organisms using a more scientific approach.
•Studies of DNA sequences of different species show that the more similar the base sequences
in the DNA of two species, the more closely related those two species are (and the more
recent in time their common ancestor is).
•This means that the base sequences in a mammal’s DNA are more closely related to all
other mammals than to any other vertebrate groups.
DNA sequences can show how closely related different species are.
•The sequences above show that Brachinus armiger and Brachinus hirsutus are more closely
related than any other species in the list as their DNA sequences are identical except for the
last-but-one base (B.armiger has a T in that position whereas B.hirsutus has an A).
•As DNA base sequences are used to code for amino acid sequences in proteins, the
similarities in amino acid sequences can also be used to determine how closely related
organisms are.
Cell Composition & Structure
When viewed under an electron microscope (at a much higher magnification), all cells
also contain the following:
1. Mammals
2. Reptiles
3. Fish
4. Amphibians
5. Birds
Vertebrates
All vertebrates have a backbone. There are 5 classes of vertebrates:
MAMMALS
Fur/hair on skin
Can live on land and in water
4 limbs
Lungs to breathe
they can maintain their body temperature (homeostasis), warm
blooded
Mammals reproduce by internal fertilisation and they give birth
to live young (they are viviparous).
Eg: Squirrels are mammals
REPTILES:
Scales on skin
Usually 4 legs
Lungs to breathe
Hard eggs
Cold blooded (poikilothermic), their body temperature varies
according to their surroundings.
However, reptiles reproduce by internal fertilisation and lay eggs.
Eg: Snakes, crocodiles
FISH:
Wet scales
external fertilisation and lay eggs (they are oviparous).
Gills to breathe
Their body temperature varies according to their surroundings
(poikilothermic).
Tuna, goldfish
AMPHIBIANS:
Smooth, moist skin
External fertilization and soft eggs
Gills/lungs to breathe so can live on land and in water
4 legs
Their body temperature also varies according to their
surroundings (poikilothermic).
Eg: Frogs
BIRDS
Feathers on body and scales on legs
Have 2 legs and 2 wings
Lungs to breathe
Hard eggs
They can maintain their body temperature (organisms that do
this are called homoiothermic).
reproduce by internal fertilisation and lay eggs.
Eg: sparrow, dove
INVERTEBRATES
• One of the morphological characteristics used to classify invertebrates is whether they have legs or not.
Ferns:
Examples:
Lactobacillius bulgaricus (a rod-shaped bacterium
used in the production of yoghurt from milk)
Streptococcus pneumoniae (a spherical bacterium
that causes Pneumonia)
Viruses:
Much smaller than bacteria (0.1µm). They are not made from cells.
Structure:
The Envelope is used to gain entry into host cells.