1

IGCSE BIOLOGY

Characteristics and
Classification
Learning Outcomes
Characteristics
1.1
• To be able to list and describe the characteristics of
living organisms
• To define the terms
• Nutrition
• Excretion
• Respiration
• Sensitivity
• Reproduction
• Growth
• movement
Life Processes

• If something is alive it will carry out all of the seven

life processes.
• Movement Living or non-living?
• Respiration
• Sensitivity
• Growth
• Reproduction
• Excretion
• Nutrition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPScYhrwrgw
Life Processes
Nutrition: taking in materials for energy, Movement: an action by an organism or part of
growth and development; plant requires light, an organism causing a change of position or place
carbon dioxide, water and ions, animals need
organic compounds, ions and usually need
water

Respiration: The chemical reactions in cells

that break down nutrient molecules and
Excretion: removal from organisms of the release energy fro metabolism
waste products of metabolism(chemical
reactions including respiration), toxic
materials and substance in excess of
requirements

Sensitivity: the ability to detect or sense stimuli

in the internal or external environment and to
make appropriate responses.
Reproduction: making more of the same
kinds of organisms

Growth: a permanent increase in size and dry

mass by an increase in cell numbers or cell size or
both
 Characteristics of Living Things
• M is for movement
• Animals move to find food, shelter or a mate.
• Plants do not move in the same way as animals but
move towards sunlight.
Which belong together?
 Learning Outcomes
Classification
• To be able to define and describe the binomial
1.2
system of naming species
• To be able to classify the five main classes of
vertebrates
• To be able to list the main features used in the
classification of flowering plants, arthropods,
annelids, nematodes and molluscs
• To be able to list the main features used in the
classification of viruses, bacteria and fungi, and their
adaptation to the environment.
Confusion in Using Different
Languages for Names

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 Classification
• •The basic unit of classification is the species.
Classification makes the identification of living
– A species is a group of organisms that can breed together
organisms easier
to produce fertile offspring.
• Organisms are sorted into groups according to
features
• Naming they have in common.
Species
• –The biggest
In the Binomialgroup is kingdom
system organisms are identified by two
names
• Genus and species
• Genus always has a capital letter
– Examples
• Canis lupus – the wolf
• Panthera leo – the lion
 Classification is grouping together
shared similarities
• Kingdom – eg Animals
• Phylum – eg Chordates (with spinal chords)
• Class – eg Mammals (suckle their young)
• Order – eg Primates (related to apes)
• Family – eg Hominids (the great apes)
• Genus – eg Homo (Human)
• Species – eg Sapiens (Thinking humans – us!)

Here’s something to help you remember…

Kids Prefer Chips Over Fancy Green Salad

 The Classification System
All living things are classified into five main groups called
kingdoms.

living things

Bacteria
plants animals fungi Protoctists
(prokaryotes)

Most living things belong to the animal kingdom or the plant

kingdom.
The taxonomic hierarchy

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 The 5 Kingdoms
• Animalia (a-nim-ay-lia)
– Multicellular (made of many cells)
– Heterotrophic (cant make their own food, so no
chlorophyll)
– Cells do not have cell walls
– Cells have complex structure
– Cells have a nucleus
 1.3

Animal Kingdom
 Living organisms in the Animal
Kingdom can be split into two types

Animal Kingdom

Animals with Animals without

backbones backbones
Vertebrates Invertebrates
 Animal Kingdom

Vertebrates Invertebrates

Cnidarians
Mammals
Flatworms
Fish
True worms
Reptiles
Molluscs
Amphibians Echinoderms
Birds Arthropods
 All these animals have a backbone –
they are Vertebrates

Fishes Amphibians Reptiles Birds Mammals

Live in water
Breathe with gills
Streamlined bodies/ have scales
Have cartilage or bony skeleton
Cold blooded
lay eggs without shells in water

Moist skin
Lay their eggs with no shells in water
Larvae have gills and live in water
Adults have lungs and live on land
Cold blooded
Lives on land
Breathe with lung
Dry scaly skin
Cold blooded
lay eggs with soft shells

Have feathers, beak and wings

Scaly feet
Four chambered heart
Lay eggs with hard shells
Warm-blooded

Have hair or fur

Four chambered heart
Placenta and mammary glands
Different types of teeth
Give birth to live young
7D Classification - Vertebrates
Classifying Vertebrates 5
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Vertebrates are classified into 5 groups.
Complete the table of features for each type of vertebrate.
mammals birds reptiles amphibians fish

hairy or tough skin soft, moist skin scales

body covering feathers
with scales
furry skin (no scales)
how it lungs lungs lungs gills
lungs
breathes
mostly on mostly on on land and
where it lives on land in water
land land in water

how offspring most young lay eggs lay eggs lay eggs lay eggs
are produced born alive (in water)
 All these animals are missing a
backbone – they are Invertebrates

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Cnidarians Flatworms True Worms Molluscs Echinoids Arthropods

 Classification of Invertebrates
• The main groups of invertebrates are
– Arthropods
– Annelids
– Nematodes
– Molluscs

• Complete the table giving the main

features of each group.
 Cnidarians (nye-dare-ians)

Jellyfish Sponges Coral

Hollow bodied
Mouth is the only body opening and is surrounded by
tentacles
Uses sting cells to paralyse prey
 Arthropods
Insects
Key features
Three pairs of legs
Two pairs of wings
One pair antennae
Compound eyes
Body – head, thorax and abdomen

Arachnids
Key features
Four pairs of legs
Body divided into head and abdomen
Several pairs simple eyes
Chelicerae for biting / poisoning prey
Crustaceans
Key features
Key features
Five or more pairs of legs
Two pairs of antennae
Head and abdomen
Exoskeleton forms a hard carapace
Compound eyes
Myriapods
Key features
Ten or more pairs of legs
One pair of antennae
Simple eyes
 1.4

Classification of Plants
 Classification of flowering plants
• Key features
– Multicellular organisms
– Cellulose cell walls and sap vacuoles
– Roots, stems and leaves
– Some cells contain chloroplasts
– Two groups
• Monocotyledons
• Dicotyledons
• The term cotyledon means “seed leaf”
 Plant Classification
Plants are living organisms that cannot move around.
Most plants make their own food through photosynthesis.

Vascular Tissues are similar to animals

blood vessels. In plants they are called
xylem and phloem, they transport
nutrients and water to cells in the plant.

Seeds contain a baby plant

(embryonic plant) the outer
covering provides safety and
nutrients to the seedling.

Spores are a small single celled reproductive structure normally

spread by non-flowering plants like fungi.
 Spore Producing
• Mosses and Liverworts (23,000)
- Non vascular plants
- No real roots
- Small leaves and stems
- Grows in damp places
- Reproduce through spores
 Spore Producing
• Ferns (24,000)
- Vascular plant
- Have roots
- Have stems with large leaves
- Have xylem
- Reproduce through spores
 Seed Producing
• Non-flowering plants / Gymnosperms (700-900)

- Grow as trees with extensive root system

- Needle shaped leaves
- Have Vascular system
- Keep their leaves in winter
- Reproduce through seeds in cones
 Seed Producing
• Flowering plants / Angiosperms (230-400,000)
- Grows as monocotyledon or dicotyledon
- Have root, stem and vascular system
- Have leaves
- Reproduce through seeds made in flowers
- Seeds are protected by fruit
 y ll abus
Plant classification 5
mins
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Mosses: They have simple leaves and shallow roots, with no proper
vascular systems. The leaves are very small and are not covered
with a waterproof, waxy cuticle layer. Mosses, Angiosperm and Lichen
are often found in damp areas as they dry out easily. They reproduce
using spores.

Ferns: They have proper roots and stems, and leaf-like fronds. The
leaves are not covered in a waterproof, waxy cuticle layer and so they
dry out easily and are generally found in damp places. They do have a
vascular system. They reproduce using spores.
Not in syllabus
Conifers: They have vascular tissues. They are large plants with
proper roots and stems and needle-shaped leaves with a waxy cuticle.
They are good at surviving in dry or cold climates. They reproduce
using seeds found in cones.

Flowering Plants: They have vascular tissues. They have proper

roots and stems and have flowers. Their leaves are large and flat and
have a waxy cuticle. They reproduce using seeds found in fruits.
 Monocotyledons and Dicotyledons
FEATURE MONOCOTYLEDO DICOTYLEDON
N
Leaf Shape Long and narrow Broad

Leaf veins parallel Branching

Cotyledons one Two

(seed leaf)
Grouping of In threes In fives
flower parts
 Comparing Monocot and Dicot Plants
seed root stem leaf flower

Monocot
one central petals are
vascular parallel
cotyledon vascular multiples of
bundle veins
(part of bundle in three
scattered
embryo) circle

Dicot
central vascular
branching/ petals are
two vascular bundle in
reticulate multiples of
cotyledons bundle in concentric
veins four or five
cross ring
Monocots and Dicots
 1.5

Classification of viruses, bacteria

and fungi
 Fungi:
Bacteria: Don’t make their own food like
Single Celled Organisms plants
Found living everywhere Usually reproduce by spores
Don’t have a nucleus Cell walls made of chitin
 Viruses, e.g. HIV
• Very small
• NOT cells
• Contain a strand of DNA or RNA
• Surrounded by a protein coat (capsid)
• Only life process they show is reproduction
(inside host cells)
 Viruses are not classified as living things as
they are not made of cells
• Viruses are very small, approximately 100nm across
(1nm = 1/1000 000 of a mm)

10nm

RNA
proteins of the
virus coat

cross section of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)

 Bacteria e.g. E. coli
• Small
• Cell wall, cell membrane and cytoplasm
• No nucleus, DNA is a single coil
• Some have a slime capsule
• Some have flagellae (for movement)
 Bacteria are single celled organisms
• Bacteria cells are about 1/1000th the size of animal or plant
cells.
cell membrane

cytoplasm

DNA
no nucleus,
DNA is one cell wall
long strand made of
kept in the peptidoglycans
cytoplasm

slime capsule
 Fungi e.g. Mucor
• Multicellular fungi are composed of hyphae
• Cell walls made of cellulose or chitin
• Do not photosynthesis
• Some produce spores
 1.6

Simple Keys
 Learning Outcomes
Using Simple Keys
• To be able to use simple dichotomous keys
based on easily identifiable features.
 Primate
Cladogram
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 Basis for Modern Taxonomy
• Homologous structures (same
structure, different function)
• Similar embryo development
• Molecular Similarity in DNA, RNA,
or amino acid sequence of Proteins
Homologous Structures (BONES in the FORELIMBS) shows Similarities in mammals.
Similarities in Vertebrate Embryos

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 Cladogram
• Diagram showing how organisms are related based
on shared, derived characteristics such as feathers,
hair, or scales

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 Dichotomous Keying
A key is a series of questions.
It is used to figure out what an unknown organism is.
You work your way down the questions, and narrow
down your options as you go.
You keep on answering the questions and eventually you
will be narrowed down to just one possible species the
organism could be.
 Example of Dichotomous Key
•1a Tentacles present – Go to 2
•1b Tentacles absent – Go to 3
•2a Eight Tentacles – Octopus
•2b More than 8 tentacles – 3
•3a Tentacles hang down – go to 4
•3b Tentacles upright–Sea Anemone
•4a Balloon-shaped body–Jellyfish
•4b Body NOT balloon-shaped - 5

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