Living Organisms

Objectives
Students will be able to:

● Define Biology and state some branches of Biology

● List the seven characteristics of living things
● List the taxonomic ranks
● Classify organisms based on their observable characteristics
● List and state the characteristics of the various groups of plants
● List and state the characteristics of the various phyla and sub-groups of the animal
kingdom
● Explain the importance of using DNA to classify organisms
What is biology?
Biology is the study of living organisms. The word is
derived from the Greek words ‘bios’ meaning life and ‘logos’
meaning study. Organisms studied in Biology may be single
cellular or multicellular.
Some Branches of biology
Anatomy: The study of an organism’s internal structure

Botany: The study of plants

Cardiology: The study of the heart and its abnormalities and diseases

Dermatology: The study of the skin

Ecology: The study of interactions among organisms and their environments

Genetics: The study of genes, variations in genes and heredity

Hepatology: The study of the liver

Histology: The study of the microscopic structures of tissues

Molecular biology: The study of the structures and functions of macromolecules

Zoology: The study of animals. This includes various sub-branches, some of which are listed above.
Characteristics of living Organisms
Nutrition: This is the process by which organisms make or obtain food. All living
things must feed. Heterotrophs are organisms that obtain their food by eating other
organisms and autotrophs are organisms that make their own food.

Respiration: This is the process by which cells release energy from food. There are
two types of respiration: aerobic (requires oxygen) and anaerobic (does not require
oxygen).

Excretion: The removal of metabolic waste from the body of an organism.

Movement: This is the change in position of part of an organism or the entire

organism.
Characteristics of living Organisms
Irritability (sensitivity): This is the ability of organisms to
detect and respond to internal or external stimuli (changes).

Growth: This is a permanent increases in the size of an organism.

Reproduction: This is the process whereby organisms produce new

individuals of the same kind. It may be asexual reproduction
where only one parent is required, or sexual reproduction where
two parents (male and female) are required to produce the
offspring.
Classification of Organisms
The classification or grouping of organisms is important as
it allows us to identify relationships between different
organisms and it enables us to clearly identify species. It
also gives us insight into how organisms develop and helps
us to distinguish new species.The simple classification of
organisms can be done by observing visible characteristics
such as the presence of antennae, number of wings, number of
legs, hariness, shape, etc. An observation is a statement
based on a characteristic that can be seen, heard or
otherwise noticed.
Classification of Organisms
Organisms are also classified based on their internal
structures, patterns of development, life cycles and the
molecular structure of their DNA. DNA stands for
deoxyribonucleic acid and is the way in which genetic
material is carried and passed on in most organisms. The
more similarities present in their DNA, the more closely
related the organisms.The science of the classification of
organisms is called taxonomy.
Taxonomic Hierarchy and ranks
The taxonomic hierarchy is a classification system of living
organisms in which they are arranged from higher to lower
categories (or vice versa). Each category is called a taxonomic
rank. The basic category is species. A species is a group of
organisms that shares common ancestry, closely resemble each
other and can interbreed to produce fertile offspring. Species
which are closely related are grouped to form genera (singular
genus), related genera are grouped to form families, related
families are grouped to form orders, related orders are grouped
to form classes, related classes are group to form phyla
(singular phylum) and related phyla are grouped to form kingdoms
which are grouped to form domains.
Taxonomic ranks
.
Naming organisms
Naming Organisms
In different countries and regions, the same organism may have
different common names. To precisely identify species no matter where
they are found, scientists use the binomial system of classification
which is a two-part naming system consisting of Latin words. The first
word is the genus and the second word is the species.This naming system
was developed by Carl Linnaeus. If, in a piece of writing, the
scientific name of an organism is used, the name is written out in full
the first time and then the genus name is abbreviated every time after
that, followed by the species name written out in full.

Activity: Make a list of the common names of 10 organisms and research

their scientific names.
Examples of Binomial Nomenclature
Kingdoms
In this course, we will not look at the domains. We will start
with the kingdoms. There are five kingdoms in the modern
classification system. They are:

Prokaryotae/Monera (Prokaryotes)
Protoctista (Protists)
Fungi
Plantae (Plants)
Animalia (Animals)
Prokaryotes/ Monera
Prokaryotes are unicellular organisms that do not have
membrane-bound nuclei. Instead, their DNA is free in the cells.
They have cell walls, but lack other membrane-bound organelles
such as mitochondria and chloroplasts. Most of them feed by
absorbing food. Examples include E.coli, cyanobacteria (blue
green algae) and Tuberculosis bacterium.

Members of ALL other kingdoms have eukaryotic cells. This means

that they have membrane bound nuclei which contain their genetic
material as well as other membrane bound organelles.
General structure of a bacterial cell
Protists
These are single cellular organisms. Cells have membrane
bound nuclei and other organelles. Protozoans ingest or
absorb food. Examples include amoeba and paramecium.
General structure of an amoeba
Fungi
These include yeasts, molds and mushrooms. Most of them are
multicellular (except yeasts which are unicellular) and
their bodies are made of threads called hyphae. Their cell
walls contain chitin (a carbohydrate) and fungal cells
contain no chlorophyll. Most fungi are saprophytes, meaning
they release enzymes that break down dead organic matter
outside of their bodies and then absorb the nutrients
through their cell membranes.Most fungi reproduce by
producing spores, but yeasts reproduce by a cell division
process called budding.
General structure of a yeast cell showing budding
Plants
These are multicellular organisms which have cell walls made
of cellulose (a carbohydrate) and contain chlorophyll. They
make their own food by the process of photosynthesis which
requires carbon dioxide, water and sunlight. The products of
photosynthesis are glucose and oxygen. Plants are
stationary.
General structure of a plant cell
Animals
These are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms. Most of them
reproduce sexually. They are heterotrophic (consume other
organisms for nutrients). Their cells do not have a cell
wall. Most of them can move from one place to another.
General structure of an animal cell
The main groups of plants
Bryophytes- These have simple stems and leaves with root-like filaments called
rhizoids. They are found in damp, shady places and reproduce using spores. Examples
are mosses and liverworts.

Ferns- These have proper roots, stems and leaves (fronds). Spores are produced on the
underside of leaves for reproduction. Examples are breadfruit fern and maidenhair
fern.

Conifers- These also have proper roots, stems and leaves (usually needle-shaped).
Seeds are produced within the cones for reproduction. Examples are pine and fir.

Flowering Plants- These have proper roots, stems and leaves. Seeds which are produced
for reproduction. There are two types: dicotyledons and monocotyledons.

Algae- These are non-flowering aquatic plants which contain chlorophyll, but lack true
stems, roots and leaves. Sargassum (seaweed) is an example.
Bryophytes
Ferns
Conifers
Algae
Dicotyledons and Monocotyledons
Monocotyledons have leaves with straight, parallel veins and
the leaves are usually straight and narrow. Their seeds
contain one cotyledon (seed leaf) and the flower parts (such
as petals) are in multiples of three. Examples include sugar
cane, wheat, onions and grass.

Dicotyledons have leaves with a network of veins and the

leaves are usually broad.The seeds contain two cotyledons.
The flower parts are in multiples of four or five. Examples
include tomatoes, mint, and peas.
Dicotyledons and Monocotyledons
Watch the following video:
Comparison of monocots and dicots
The animal
kingdom
Phyla of the animal kingdom
Click on the following video:
Phyla of the animal kingdom
Porifera (sponges)- These are stationary, lack tissues and organs and
their bodies contain a single cavity with many pores in its walls
making many water canals. Examples include barrel sponges and vase
sponges.

Cnidaria- These have bag or umbrella shaped bodies. The gut has one
opening (the mouth) and there is a ring of tentacles around the mouth.
Examples include coral and jellyfish.

Platyhelminthes- These are also called flatworms. They have long,flat,

unsegmented bodies. An example is a tapeworm.
Phyla of the animal kingdom
Nematodes- These are also called roundworms. They have elongated,
round, unsegmented bodies with pointed ends. Examples are hookworms and
threadworms.

Annelids- These are segmented worms. They have elongated bodies that
are divided into segments. An example is an earthworm.

Arthropods- These have waterproof external skeletons made of the

carbohydrate chitin. They have segmented bodies and several pairs of
jointed legs. Sub-groups of this phylum are crustaceans, arachnids,
insects and myriapods. About ¾ of all known animals are insects.
Phyla of the animal kingdom
Molluscs- These have soft, moist, unsegmented bodies. They have a muscular foot and
many have shells. Examples include snails, slugs, squids and octopuses.

Echinoderms- Their bodies have a radial patterns of five parts. They have tube feet
with suction pods for movement and their bodies contain calcium carbonate, often with
projecting spines. Examples include starfish and sea urchins.

Chordates: These have a notochord (rod) running down their bodies. Most have a
backbone. They have a dorsal (back) nerve cord with the anterior end usually forming
the brain. Most have an internal skeleton made of bone and cartilage. Vertebrates
(animals with backbones) can be further divided into five groups: fish, amphibians,
reptiles, birds and mammals.
Groups of arthropods
Insects Arachnids Crustaceans Myriapods
Activity
Place the following animals into the correct groups of arthropods:

Lobster

Spider

Tick

Centipede

Millipede

Moth

Ant

Scorpion
Classes of vertebrates
Fish- These organisms have waterproof skin covered with scales. They breathe using gills and have
fins for swimming. Examples include barracuda and shark.

Amphibians- These organisms have soft, moist waterproof skin. Their skin has no scales. They lay
eggs in water which hatch into larvae that also live in water. The adult forms live on land.
Examples include frogs, toads and newts.

Reptiles- These organisms have dry, waterproof skin with scales. They lay eggs on land. Examples
include snakes, lizards, iguanas and turtles.

Birds- These organisms have waterproof skin with feathers, have beaks and have no teeth. Their
forelimbs form wings, they lay eggs and are endothermic. Examples include hawks, eagles and
chickens.
Classes of vertebrates
Mammals- These organisms have waterproof skin with hair and
sweat glands. They have various types of teeth and are
endothermic. The young organisms feed on milk produced by
their mothers. Examples include mice, whales and goats.
The dichotomous key
A dichotomous key is a flow diagram that classifies
organisms. To determine which group an organism belongs to,
a series of ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions can often be asked. A
dichotomous key may be used, for example, to identify what
sub-group of vertebrates an animal belongs to.
Example of a dichotomous key
.
The use of dna for the classification of organisms
Grouping organisms based solely on their observable characteristics has
some disadvantages. For example, birds and bats both have wings, but
bats are mammals. Some organisms of different groups look the same
under a microscope and other organisms that belong to the same group
may look very different to each other. However, closely related
organisms share many similarities in the sequences of their DNA. DNA
sequencing has lead scientists to discover that the single-celled algae
found inside coral belong to different species although they all look
the same under a microscope.

Homework: Read pages 7-9 of the textbook.