Biology

BIOLOGY
TOPIC: GROUPING AND IDENTIFYING ORGANISMS
SUBTOPICS:
4.1 – Characteristics of Living Organisms

4.2 – Viruses
4.3 – What is a Species?
4.4 – Using Identification Keys
4.5 – Constructing Keys
4.1 – CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING ORGANISMS
◆ LIVING ORGANISM:
▪ A living organism is an entity that shows all the characteristics of life, such
as movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion, and
nutrition.
▪ Examples: Animals, plants, fungi, and microorganisms.
◆ NON-LIVING THING:
▪ A non-living thing is an entity that does not possess the characteristics of

life. It lacks biological processes such as metabolism, growth, or
reproduction.
▪ Examples: Rocks, water, air, and human-made objects like chairs,
computers, and cars.
◆ THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING ORGANISMS:
There are seven activities which make organisms different from non-living things.
These are the seven characteristics of living organisms.
1. NUTRITION:
Living things take in materials from their surroundings that they use for growth
or to provide energy. Nutrition is the process by which organisms obtain energy
and raw materials from nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
2. RESPIRATION:
Respiration is the release of energy from food substances in all living cells.
Living things break down food within their cells to release energy for carrying
out the following processes.
3. MOVEMENT:
All living organisms can move, either their entire body (e.g., animals) or parts
of their body (e.g., plants moving towards light).
4. EXCRETION:
All living things excrete. As a result of the many chemical reactions occurring
in cells, they have to get rid of waste products which might poison the cells.
Excretion is defined as the removal of toxic materials, the waste products of
metabolism and substances in excess from the body of an organism.
5. GROWTH:
Growth is seen in all living things. It involves using food to produce new cells.
The permanent increase in cell number and size is called growth.
6. Reproduction:
All living organisms have the ability to produce offspring.
7. SENSITIVITY:
All living things are able to sense and respond to stimuli around them such as
light, temperature, water, gravity and chemical substances.
✓ Use the mnemonic MRS. GREN to help you remember the seven Characteristics
of Living Organisms.
4.2 – VIRUSES
◆ VIRUSES:
▪ Viruses are non-cellular, microscopic infectious agents that can only

replicate inside a host cell.
▪ From a biological perspective, viruses cannot be classified either a living
organism or non-living.
▪ A virus is made up of genetic material and protein that can invade and
reproduce only within the living cells of bacteria, plants and animals.
◆ VIRUS REPLICATION:
1. Attachment: Virus attaches to the host cell.

2. Entry: Genetic material is injected into the host cell.
3. Replication: The virus takes over the cell's metabolism, causing the creation
of new proteins and nucleic acids by the host cell's organelles.
4. Assembly: Proteins and nucleic acids are assembled into new viruses.
5. Release: Virus enzymes cause the cell to burst and viruses are released from
the host cell. These new viruses can infect other cells.
◆ CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19):

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-
2 virus. The severity of COVID-19 symptoms can range from very mild to severe.
Some people may have only a few symptoms. Some people may have no symptoms
at all, but can still spread it. This is called asymptomatic transmission.
4.3 – WHAT IS A SPECIES?
◆ SPECIES:
▪ A group of organisms that share common characteristics and can interbreed

to produce fertile offspring.
▪ Example: Humans (Homo sapiens), Dogs, Cats.
◆ OFFSPRING:
▪ The young or progeny produced by a living organism through reproduction.

▪ Example: A baby is the offspring of humans; a seedling is the offspring of a
plant.
◆ FERTILE:
▪ The ability to reproduce or produce offspring. Fertile individuals are capable

of breeding and generating viable offspring.
▪ Example: A fertile hen lays eggs that can hatch into chicks.
◆ VARIATION:
▪ The differences in characteristics among individuals within a species.

Variation can be due to genetic factors (inherited traits) or environmental
influences.
▪ Example: Different fur colors in dogs or variations in height among humans.
✓ KEY POINTS:
▪ There are millions of species of organisms on Earth.

▪ A species is defined as a group of organisms that can reproduce to produce
fertile offspring.
▪ These species can be classified into groups by the features that they share
e.g., all mammals have bodies covered in hair, feed young from mammary
glands and have external ears (pinnas).
▪ All the organisms in a species share the same characteristics but they are
not all identical to each other.
▪ Variation between individuals can sometimes make it difficult to decide
whether two organisms belong to the same species. To be sure, scientists
try to find out if they can reproduce with one another.
▪ Organisms that belong to different species cannot usually reproduce with
one another. Very rarely, two organisms from different species do reproduce
together. They will produce infertile offspring.
4.4 – USING KEYS
◆ CLASSIFICATION:
The method of arranging the organisms into groups are called classification.
◆ DICHOTOMOUS KEY:
A key for the identification of organisms based on a series of choices between

alternative characters.
◆ IDENTIFYING ORGANISMS:
Biologists identify organisms they find. They use keys to identify organisms. A key
is a set of questions about an organism’s characteristics. Each answer leads to
another question. Work through the questions to identify the organism's name. A
simple key for identification is called a dichotomous key.
◆ DICHOTOMOUS KEY:
Keys are used to identify organisms by asking questions about their features.
Dichotomous means “branching into two.” It provides two descriptions at a time;
the user chooses one. Each choice leads to another two descriptions. Start with a
single organism and follow the key from the beginning. Continue making choices
until the organism’s name is found. Repeat the process for each organism, starting
at the beginning each time.
4.5 – CONSTRUCTING KEYS
◆ CONSTRUCTING KEYS:
(1) Consider only one characteristic at a time.

(2) Use morphological or observable characteristics as much as you can.
(3) Use major characteristics when dividing the organisms in the beginning and
use lesser or less obvious characteristics to divide them into smaller groups.
(4) When writing contrasting statements, rely on similar word formats (i.e., have
feathers and don't have feathers).
(5) Be specific in your statements and avoid repeating the same characteristics.
(6) Use questions that lead to yes or no answers rather than statements.

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TOPIC: GROUPING AND IDENTIFYING ORGANISMS

4.1 – Characteristics of Living Organisms

4.1 – CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING ORGANISMS

▪ A non-living thing is an entity that does not possess the characteristics of

◆ THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING ORGANISMS:

All living organisms have the ability to produce offspring.

▪ Viruses are non-cellular, microscopic infectious agents that can only

1. Attachment: Virus attaches to the host cell.

◆ CORONAVIRUS DISEASE (COVID-19):

4.3 – WHAT IS A SPECIES?

▪ A group of organisms that share common characteristics and can interbreed

▪ The young or progeny produced by a living organism through reproduction.

▪ The ability to reproduce or produce offspring. Fertile individuals are capable

▪ The differences in characteristics among individuals within a species.

▪ There are millions of species of organisms on Earth.

4.4 – USING KEYS

A key for the identification of organisms based on a series of choices between

(1) Consider only one characteristic at a time.

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