P-2

Kingdom- Animals

• Animals are multicellular organisms whose cells have no

cell walls or chloroplasts.
• Most animals ingest solid food and digest it internally
• Animal kingdom (Only eight groups out of 23 are listed
here.) Each group is called a phylum (plural = phyla).
 Invertebrates

• Invertebrates do not possess a backbone

• One of the morphological characteristics
used to classify invertebrates is whether
they have legs or not
• All invertebrates with jointed legs are part
of the phylum Arthropods
• They are classified further into the following
classes:
 Arthropods
• The arthropods include the crustacea, insects, centipedes and spiders
• The name arthropod means ‘jointed limbs’, and this is a feature common to them all.
• They also have a hard, firm external skeleton, called a cuticle, which encloses their bodies.
• Their bodies are segmented and, between the segments, there are flexible joints which permit movement.
• In most arthropods, the segments are grouped together to form distinct regions, the head, thorax and abdomen.
 Insects
• The insects form a very large class of arthropods.
• Bees, butterflies, mosquitoes, houseflies, earwigs,
greenfly and beetles are just a few of the subgroups in this
class.
• Insects have segmented bodies with a firm exoskeleton,
• Three pairs of jointed legs
• Compound eyes and,
• Typically, two pairs of wings
• The segments are grouped into distinct head, thorax and
Abdomen regions
• Marine crustacea are- Crustacea
crabs, prawns, lobsters, shrimps and barnacles.
• Fresh water crustacea are
• water fleas, Cyclops, the freshwater shrimp (Gammarus) and the water
louse (Asellus)
• Woodlice are land-dwelling crustacea.
• Like all arthropods, crustacea have an exoskeleton and jointed legs.
• They also have two pairs of antennae which are sensitive to touch and to
chemicals,
• They have compound eyes made up of tens or hundreds of separate lenses
with light-sensitive cells beneath.
• Crustacea have a pair of jointed limbs on each segment of the body
• The head segments are modified to form antennae or specialised mouth
parts for feeding
Insects differ from crustacea in having

• Wings
• Only one pair of antennae and
• Only three pairs of legs.
• There are no limbs on the abdominal segments.
 Arachnids
• These are the spiders, scorpions, mites and ticks.
• Their bodies are divided into two regions, the cephalothorax and the abdomen.
• They have four pairs of limbs on the cephalothorax, two pedipalps and two chelicerae.
• The pedipalps are used in reproduction;
• the chelicerae are used to pierce their prey and paralyse it with a poison secreted by a gland at the base.
• There are usually several pairs of simple eyes.
 Myriapods
• These are millipedes and centipedes.
• They have a head and a segmented body which is not obviously divided into thorax and abdomen.
• There is a pair of legs on each body segment but in the millipede the abdominal segments are fused in pairs and it
looks as if it has two pairs of legs per segment
• As the myriapod grows, additional segments are formed.
• The myriapods have one pair of antennae and simple eyes.
• Centipedes are carnivorous; millipedes feed on vegetable matter
Arthropods - Summary
 Vertebrates
• Vertebrates are animals which have a vertebral column.
• Aka the spinal column / spine
• Spine consists of a chain of cylindrical bones (vertebrae) joined end
to end.
• Each vertebra carries an arch of bone on its dorsal (upper) surface
that protects the spinal cord, which runs most of the length of the
vertebral column.
• The front end of the spinal cord form a brain which protected by the
skull
• The skull carries a pair of jaws which, in most vertebrates, have rows
of teeth.
• The five classes of vertebrates are fish, amphibia, reptiles, birds and
mammals
 Vertebrates- Body Temperature
• Fish, amphibia and reptiles are often referred to as ‘cold-blooded’ or
poikilothermic
• These animals have a variable body temperature which, to some
extent, depends on the temperature of their surroundings.
• Reptiles, for example, may control their temperature by moving into
sunlight or retreating into shade but there is no internal regulatory
mechanism.
• ‘warm-blooded’ animals or homoiothermic have a body
temperature higher than that of their surroundings. The main
difference, however, is that these temperatures are kept more or less
constant despite any variation in external temperature. There are
internal regulatory mechanisms which keep the body temperature
within narrow limits.
• The advantage of homoiothermy is that an animal’s activity is not
dependent on the surrounding temperature.
 Fish

• Fish are poikilothermic (cold blooded) vertebrates.

• Many of them have a smooth, streamlined shape which
offers minimal resistance to the water through which they
move.
• Body covered with overlapping scales
• Have fins which play a part in movement.
• Breathe by means of filamentous gills protected by a bony
plate, the operculum.
• Fish reproduce sexually but fertilisation usually takes place
externally; the female lays eggs and the male sheds sperms
on them after they have been laid
 Amphibia
• Amphibia are poikilothermic (cold blooded) vertebrates
• With four limbs and no scales.
• The class includes frogs, toads and newts.
• All three groups are carnivorous.
• The name, amphibian, means ‘double life’
• Most frogs, toads and newts spend much of their time on the land, in
moist situations, and return to ponds or other water only to lay eggs.
• Amphibia have moist skins with a good supply of capillaries which can
exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide with the air or water.
• They also have lungs but do not have a diaphragm or ribs.
 Amphibia

• The toad’s skin is drier than that of the frog and it has glands
which can exude an unpleasant-tasting chemical which
discourages predators.
• In frogs and toads, the hind feet have a web of skin between the
toes offering a large surface area to thrust against the water
when the animal is swimming
• Newts differ from frogs and toads in having a tail.
• Newts swim by a wriggling, fish-like movement of their bodies
and make less use of their limbs for swimming.
• Fertilisation, is external even though the frogs are in close
contact for the event
 Reptiles
• Reptiles are land-living vertebrates.
• Their skins are dry and the outer layer of epidermis forms a pattern of
scales.
• This dry, scaly skin resists water loss.
• Also the eggs of most species have a tough, parchment like shell.
• Reptiles, therefore, are not restricted to damp habitats, nor do they need
water in which to breed.
• poikilothermic (cold blooded) but they can regulate their temperature to
some extent.
• They do this by basking in the sun until their bodies warm up. When
reptiles warm up, they can move about rapidly in pursuit of insects and
other prey.
• The reptiles include lizards, snakes, turtles, tortoises and crocodiles
 Reptiles

• Apart from the snakes, reptiles have four limbs, each with five toes.
• Some species of snake still retain the vestiges of limbs and girdles.
• Male and female reptiles mate, and sperms are passed into the female’s
body.
• The eggs are, therefore, fertilised internally before being laid.
• In some species, the female retains the eggs in the body until they are
ready to hatch.
 Birds
• Birds are homoiothermic (warm blooded) vertebrates.
• The vertebral column in the neck is flexible
• This is probably an adaptation to flight, as the powerful wing
muscles need a rigid frame to work against.
• The epidermis over most of the body produces a covering of
feathers but, on the legs and toes, the epidermis forms scales.
• The feathers are of several kinds.
• The fluffy down feathers form an insulating layer close to the
skin;
• The contour feathers cover the body and give the bird its shape
and colouration;
• The large quill feathers on the wing are essential for flight.
• Birds have four limbs, but the forelimbs are modified to form
wings.
 Birds

• The feet have four toes with claws which help the bird to
perch, scratch for seeds or capture prey,
• The upper and lower jaws are extended to form a beak
which is used for feeding in various ways.
• Fertilisation is internal and the female lays hard-shelled
eggs in a nest where she incubates them.
 Mammals

• Mammals are homoiothermic (warm blooded) vertebrates

• Have four limbs. They differ from birds in having hair rather
than feathers.
• Unlike the other vertebrates they have a diaphragm which
plays a part in breathing
• They also have mammary glands and suckle their young on
milk.
• Humans are mammals.
• All mammals give birth to fully formed young instead of
laying eggs. The eggs are fertilised internally and undergo a
period of development in the uterus
 Mammals
• The young may be blind and helpless at first, e.g. cats, or
they may be able to stand up and move about soon after
birth, e.g. sheep and cows.
• In either case, the youngster’s fisrt food is the mother’s milk
• The milk is made in the mammary glands and contains all
the nutrients that the offspring need for the first few weeks
or months, depending on the species.
• In the case of carnivores, the parents bring the food to the
young until they are able to fend for themselves
Vertebrates - Summary
 Viruses
• Varies in their shape and structure.
• have a central core of RNA or DNA surrounded by a protein coat.
• Viruses have no nucleus, cytoplasm, cell organelles or cell
membrane
• Virus particles, therefore, are not cells
• They do not feed, respire, excrete or grow.
• Viruses do reproduce, but only inside the cells of living organisms,
using materials provided by the host cell.
• The protein coat is called a capsid made up of many protein
molecules called capsomeres
• Genetic material –
• SS DNA
• SS RNA
• DS DNA
Are Viruses Living ???
• they are not considered to be living organisms because
they lack cell membranes (made of protein and lipid),
cytoplasm and ribosomes
• they do not demonstrate the characteristics of living
things: they do not feed, respire, excrete or grow.
• Although viruses do reproduce, this only happens
inside the cells of living organisms, using materials
provided by the host cell.

• Viruses are not part of any classification system as

they are not considered living things
 Dichotomous Keys

• Keys are used to identify organisms based on a series of questions

about their features
• Dichotomous means ‘branching into two’ and it leads the user
through to the name of the organism by giving two descriptions at
a time and asking them to choose
• Each choice leads the user onto another two descriptions
• In order to successfully navigate a key, you need to pick a single
organism to start with and follow the statements from the
beginning until you find the name
• You then pick another organism and start at the beginning of the
key again, repeating until all organisms are named
Example of a dichotomous key #1 Example of a dichotomous key #2

Exam Tip
Simple dichotomous keys almost always come up in the multiple choice paper, so
make sure you can use one. Very occasionally they show up in the theory paper,
and when they do you almost always have to use one instead of constructing one,
so focus on this rather than spending hours learning to construct them yourself!
Activity
 Anchor

Pearl
1 A- The organism has gills Go to #2.
B- The organism does not have gills Go to #7.
2 A- The organism has fins Go to #3
B- The organism has no fins. Go to #6
3 A- The organism has large eyes. Go to #4
B- The organism has beady eyes. Go to #5
4 A- The organism has three stripes. Go to #8
B- The organism does not have striped coloration Go to #11
5 A- The organism has teeth. Go to #9
B- The organism does not have teeth. Go to #10
6 A- The organism has tentacles Pearl
Anchor
B- The organism does not have tentacles Jacques
7 A- The organism has a shell Squirt
B- The organism does not have a shell Peach
8 A-The organism has a large caudal fin Marlin
B-The organism does not have a large caudal fin Deb
9 A- The organism has a uniquely elongated head Anchor Pearl
B- The organism's head is attached to its body Bruce
10 A- The organism has a tail Mr. Ray
B- The organism does not have a tail GiI
11 A- The organism is multi colored Dory
B- The organism is only one color Bubbles