Bloque Los Seres Vivos

LIVING THINGS 3:DIVERSITY AND

CLASSIFICATION
Luis Sánchez Vázquez
Departamento de
Didácticas Específicas
E-mail: lsvazquez@uco.es
GUIDING QUESTIONS

What are living things made of?

How are they (we) organised?

How and when did the first living things appear on Earth?

How did they evolve?

What are the main types of living things?

How can we classify them?

WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY?

The biodiversity or biological diversity refers to the total

set of life forms on the planet, including living things
and the ecological processes that that relate each
other

In recent years, science has focused on

microorganisms that increased interest in the micro-
organisms that make possible the physical and
chemical processes on the planet: viruses, bacteria,
protozoa and fungi

The soil is one of the most complex ecosystems

in nature
BENEFITS OF BIODIVERSITY

Utilitarian values:

-  Food, fuel, shelter, medicine

-  Ecosystems services:
-  pollination,
-  seed dispersal,
-  climate regulation,
-  water purification,
-  nutrient cycling,
-  control of agricultural pests
-  Cultural, spiritual or religious values

Intrinsic values
THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY: THE HIPPO DILEMMA

Habitat Loss
Introduced Species
Pollution
Population Growth
Over-consumption (Over-exploitation)

It has been estimated that about 3 species are going extinct every hour and
approximately 20,000 species every year.
THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY: THE HIPPO DILEMMA

1. In your own words explain habitat loss.

2. Introduced species often create more problems than they

solve. Give two examples of an introduced specie that has turned
out to be a hard-to-control pest.

3. Pollution in the air, water, ground, and from noise threatens

wildlife. List instances of pollution that you've observed that could
endanger animals.

4. Increasingly, people have displaced animals as cities grow.

Explain how population growth makes a difference to biodiverse
places.

5. In National Parks and other protected areas, are animals there

in danger from over-consumption and over-exploitation?
THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY: Industrial Agriculture and Livestock Farming

•  Humans began to practice livestock and agriculture about 10,000 years ago.
•  Varieties multiplied as they adapted to local conditions.
•  Modern agricultural and farming practices have tended to replace that diversity with a
homogeneous production.
•  This has led to the disappearance of many varieties of plant species and breeds of domestic
animals
CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING THINGS
CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING THINGS
Kingdom Archaeobacteria
 
•  Archea

•  Prokaryotes (without nucleus or internal membranous

organelles)

•  Unicellular

•  Distinct metabolic features from bacteriaàtherefore

grouped in a separate kingdom.

•  About 500 species are known.

Kingdom Eubacteria

•  Bacteria

•  Prokaryotes (without nucleus or internal membranous

organelles)

•  Unicellular

•  They are a few microns in size and are filament,

sphere, rod, bar, comma and helix shapes

•  About 10,000 species have been described.

Kingdom Protista

•  Protozoa

•  Eukaryotes (DNA organised inside a nucleus)

•  Generally unicellular, also colonial and multicellular

•  Microscopic

•  Heterotrophic, often predatory or detritivorous

•  They live in humid or aquatic environments.

•  Some 55,000 species have been described.

Kingdom Fungi

•  Mushrooms

•  Eukaryotes (DNA organised inside a nucleus)

•  Unicellular or multicellular

•  Heterotrophic, they carry out an external digestion of

their food

•  About 100,000 species have been described

Kingdom Plantae

•  Plants

•  Eukaryotes (DNA organised inside a nucleus)

•  Pluricellular

•  Autotrophic by photosynthesis

•  With a variety of tissues

•  Some 310,000 species have been described.

Kingdom Animalia

•  Animals

•  Eukaryotes (DNA organised inside a nucleus)

•  Pluricellular

•  Heterotrophs

•  With a variety of tissues

•  They are generally characterised by their capacity

for locomotion

•  1,425,000 species have been described