CHAPTER FOUR

Classifying
Living Things
Learning Objectives

You will learn

• about the diversity of living things
• the meaning of classification
• how to classify living organisations
• how to use dichotomous keys to identify
living organisms
• how to construct a dichotomous key
4.1 Living Things

The study of living things is called biology, and the person

who studies biology is called a biologist.

Living things are called organisms (animals and plants).

Characteristics of living things:

1) Grow
2) Take in nutrients
3) Reproduce

all living things need food

reproduce
Diversity of Living Things

What is a Habitat???
Definition:
A place where animals and plants live.

Diversity of habitats refer to the many kinds of living

things in the world.
In the Sea In Deserts In Polar Regions

animals and plants animals adapt to these

adapt to these hot cold regions by having
regions by having fur, feathers or thick
storage spaces for water layers of fat under the
skin to keep
themselves warm
Singapore has a large diversity of living things.

Little
Egret
sea lettuce

hermit crab

monkey Cassia tree

4.2 Putting Things in Groups

Sorting things into groups is called classification.

1) Look for similarities and differences among objects.
2) Put objects with similar properties or features together
into a group.
3) Name the group.
There are usually more than one way to classify the same
group of objects.
STAMPS STAMPS

Singapore other countries people animals

Sorting Living Things into Groups
Living things can be classified into two main groups:
animals and plants.

These two groups can be further classified into other

groups.

A key shows how objects are classified. For example,

ORGANISMS

plants animals

living living in living living in

on land water on land water
4.3 The Scientific Classification of Animals

Scientists classify animals into 2 main groups.

ANIMALS

vertebrates invertebrates
(with backbone) (without backbone)

Most animals on Earth are invertebrates.

invertebrates
(about 1,200,000)

vertebrates
(about 47,000)
Vertebrates
Scientists classify vertebrates into 5 smaller groups.

VERTEBRATES

fish amphibians reptiles birds mammals

warm-blooded cold-blooded
(body temperature changes (body temperature is constant
according to the temperature and does not vary with
of their surroundings) changing temperatures of
their surroundings)
Vertebrates
Scientists classify vertebrates into 5 smaller groups.

VERTEBRATES

fish amphibians reptiles birds mammals

• live in water
• are covered with hard
scales for protection
• have fins and tails to
help them swim
• breathe through gills
• produce by laying eggs
with no shells
Vertebrates
Scientists classify vertebrates into 5 smaller groups.

VERTEBRATES

fish amphibians reptiles birds mammals

• adults live on land and

in water; young live in
water
• have moist skin
• breathe through lungs
and skin; young
breathe through gills
• lay eggs without shells
in water
Vertebrates
Scientists classify vertebrates into 5 smaller groups.

VERTEBRATES

fish amphibians reptiles birds mammals

• live on land
• have dry, scaly skin to
prevent their bodies
from losing too much
water
• breathe through lungs
• lay eggs with thick
shells to prevent them
from drying up
Vertebrates
Scientists classify vertebrates into 5 smaller groups.

VERTEBRATES

fish amphibians reptiles birds mammals

• are only animals with

feathers
• have beaks and wings,
but not all birds fly
• lay eggs with shells
Vertebrates
Scientists classify vertebrates into 5 smaller groups.

VERTEBRATES

fish amphibians reptiles birds mammals

• have hair or fur on

their bodies
• young are fed on milk
• all (except platypus
and Echidna anteater)
give birth to live young
• some live on land and
others in water
Invertebrates
Invertebrates can be classified into 2 smaller groups.

INVERTEBRATES

with without
jointed legs jointed legs

3 pairs 4 pairs more than worm-like non worm-

4 pairs like

• have a segmented body

• have a hard skin on the
outside called an
exoskeleton
• have differing numbers
of legs as follows
Invertebrates
Invertebrates can be classified into 2 smaller groups.

INVERTEBRATES

with without
jointed legs jointed legs

3 pairs 4 pairs more than worm-like non worm-

4 pairs like

• are insects
• form about 90% of
invertebrates
Invertebrates
Invertebrates can be classified into 2 smaller groups.

INVERTEBRATES

with without
jointed legs jointed legs

3 pairs 4 pairs more than worm-like non worm-

4 pairs like

• are arachnids
Invertebrates
Invertebrates can be classified into 2 smaller groups.

INVERTEBRATES

with without
jointed legs jointed legs

3 pairs 4 pairs more than worm-like non worm-

4 pairs like

• are crustaceans
Invertebrates
Invertebrates can be classified into 2 smaller groups.

INVERTEBRATES

with without
jointed legs jointed legs

3 pairs 4 pairs more than worm-like non worm-

4 pairs like

• some have segmented

bodies and others do
not
Invertebrates
Invertebrates can be classified into 2 smaller groups.

INVERTEBRATES

with without
jointed legs jointed legs

3 pairs 4 pairs more than worm-like non worm-

4 pairs like

• some have shells and

others do not
4.4 Classification of Plants

Scientists classify plants into 2 main groups.

PLANTS

flowering non-flowering

mosses ferns conifers

Flowering Plants
Flowering plants are not classified further in this book.

PLANTS

flowering non-flowering

mosses ferns conifers

• produce flowers
• have true roots, stems
and leaves
• reproduce by seeds
Non-flowering Plants
Non-flowering plants can be classified into 3 smaller groups.

PLANTS

flowering non-flowering

mosses ferns conifers

• live on land in moist,

shady and cool places
• are green
• have stems and small
leaves, but no roots
Non-flowering Plants
Non-flowering plants can be classified into 3 smaller groups.

PLANTS

flowering non-flowering

mosses ferns conifers

• live on land in moist

and shady places
• have roots, stems and
green leaves
• reproduce by spores
produced on the
underside of leaves
Non-flowering Plants
Non-flowering plants can be classified into 3 smaller groups.

PLANTS

flowering non-flowering

mosses ferns conifers

• have true roots, stems

and simple, needle-like
leaves
• do not produce flowers,
but produce cones
• reproduce by seeds
produced in cones
4.5 Neither Animal nor Plant

Some organisms are not classified as animals nor plants.

Four kinds are:

NON-ANIMALS / NON-PLANTS

algae fungi bacteria virus

4.5 Neither Animal nor Plant

Some organisms are not classified as animals nor plants.

Four kinds are:

NON-ANIMALS / NON-PLANTS

algae fungi bacteria virus

• have no roots, stems or

leaves
• live in water or very
wet places
• mostly green in colour,
though some may be
red or brown
4.5 Neither Animal nor Plant

Some organisms are not classified as animals nor plants.

Four kinds are:

NON-ANIMALS / NON-PLANTS

algae fungi bacteria virus

• have no roots, stems or

leaves
• can cause body
infections
• some are useful
4.5 Neither Animal nor Plant

Some organisms are not classified as animals nor plants.

Four kinds are:

NON-ANIMALS / NON-PLANTS

algae fungi bacteria virus

• are very small and can

only be seen under a
microscope
• can cause diseases
• some are useful
4.5 Neither Animal nor Plant

Some organisms are not classified as animals nor plants.

Four kinds are:

NON-ANIMALS / NON-PLANTS

algae fungi bacteria virus

• are extremely small

• can cause diseases
4.6 Using Keys to Identify Organisms

Keys can also be used to identify individual objects or

groups of objects.

INVERTEBRATES

legs no legs

wings no wings shell no shell

snail sea
1 pair 2 pairs claws no claws anemone

housefly butterfly crab caterpillar

4.7 Making Simple Dichotomous Key

To make a key, use differences to identify each grouping.

A B C D

grey fur brown fur

long tail short tail long tail short tail

A D B C