6.
1 Classification and keys
Classification
Scientists also arrange organisms into groups and this is called classification.
Classification
• There are millions of types of organisms on the planet.
• Scientists arrange them into groups based on how similar they are.
• The largest groups are called kingdoms.
• All organisms belong to one of the five kingdoms.
1. animal------ further subdivided into vertebrates (those with backbones) and many
groups of invertebrates (animals without a backbone)
2. Plant---------further divided into flowering plants (plants that have flowers ) and
many groups of non- flowering plants.
3. Fungus -------these include moulds, mushrooms and yeast.
4. Protist --------these are a wide variety of simple organisms ,and many have only one
cell.
5. Monera ------- these are single – celled organisms with no nucleus and include
bacteria.
Vertebrate fish amphibia reptile birds mammals
class
example perch frog Lizard, snake pigeon Rabbit
Body covering scales Moist skin Dry skin,with Feathers,with fur
scale scales on legs
Movement Fins Four limbs Four legs Two wings Four limbs
and two legs
reproduction Jelly- Jelly-covered Produce eggs Produce eggs Produce live
covered egg in water Laid on land with a hard young
egg in shell
water
Sense organs eyes Eyes, ears Eyes ,ears Eyes ,ears Eyes ears
Other detail Cold Cold Cold blood, Warm Warm
blooded ,gil blood ,lungs lungs for blood ,lungs blooded,
ls for and skin for breathing for breathing lungs for
breathing breathing breathing
• In the 1700s, the scientist Carl Lnnaeus began to classify species into different
categories based on their structure and characteristists.
• Kingdoms can be divided into smaller groups called phyla.
• These can then be divided into smaller groups called classes.
• Classes are divided into orders, orders into families and families into genera (singular
genus).
• Eventually you get to the smaller group called a species.
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Primates
Family Hominidae
Genus Homo
Species sapiens
Human
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Inseta
Order Hymenoptera
Family Apidae
Genus Apis
Species mellifera
Honeybee
Kingdom Plantae
Phylum Angiospermophyta
Class Monocotyledoneae
Order Commelinales
Family Poaceae
Genus Zea
Species mays
Corn
Kingdom Fungi
Phylum Basidiomycota
Class Agaricomycetes
Order Agaricales
Family Agaricaceae
Genus Agaricus
Species campestris
Field mushroom
Species
• The smallest group in the classification of organisms is species.
• A species is a group of organisms that are so alike that they can mate together and
produce fertile young (offspring that can also reproduce)
• Humans , horses and dandelions are example of different species.
• Members of one species cannot naturally mate with members of another , for
example cats cannot mate with dogs.
Animal kingdom
• The animal kingdom contains organisms that are very complex.
• They are made of lots of cells (they are multicellular)
• The animal kingdom can be subdivided into smaller groups called phyla.
• We belong to a phylum called chordata.
• Nearly all the animals within this phylum are vertebrates.
• This means that they have backbones.
• The rest of the phyla in the animal kingdom are known as invertebrates because
they do not have a backbone
Vertebrate class characteristics examples
fish • Streamlined shape Shark , haddock,
• Breathe using gills salmon ,sea horse
• Move using fins
• Skin has scales
• Live in water
• Eggs laid in water
Vertebrate class characteristics examples
amphibians • Can live under water Frog, toad, newt,
breathing through salamander
skin
• Adults can live on
land as they have
lungs
• Moist soft skin
• Eggs laid in water
Vertebrate class characteristics examples
reptiles • Dry scaly skin Tortoise , crocodile,
• Breathe using lungs snake
• Eggs with a leathery
shell laid on land
Vertebrate class characteristics examples
birds • Breathe using lungs Eagle ,
• Warm-blooded sparrow ,penguin ,owl
• Feathers
• Eggs with hard shells
laid
Vertebrate class characteristics examples
mammals • Warm –blooded Bat , human , horse
• Young develop inside
the mother
• Young feed on milk
from the mother
• Breathe using lungs
• Fur or hair
Invertebrate classification
Invertebrate phyla characteristics examples
echinoderms • Armour-plated skin Starfish,sea
covered in spines cucumber,sea urchin
• Body has five- part
radial symmetry
Invertebrate phyla characteristics examples
arthropods • Hard outer skeleton Crab, tick, beetle,
• Segmented body ladybird
• Joined walking limbs
Invertebrate phyla characteristics examples
cnidarians • Two-layered organism Jellyfish, hydra, sea
with a body like a bag anemone
Invertebrate phyla characteristics examples
flatworms • Flat body Planarian, tapeworm,
liver fluke
Invertebrate phyla characteristics examples
roundworms • Smooth worm- like nematode
body
Invertebrate phyla characteristics examples
Segmented worms • Segmented worm- Earthworm, leech
like body
Invertebrate phyla characteristics examples
molluses • Soft body protected Snail, limpet,
by hard parts (e.g. a mussel ,cuttlefish
shell)
• Use a large muscle to
move or feed with
There are more species of arthropod than any other type of animal.
Arthropods can be subdivided into four classes ,
Arthropod class characteristics examples
insects • Three pairs of legs Grasshopper, dragonfly,
• Body divided into stag beetle
three parts
Arthropod class characteristics examples
arachnids • Four pairs of legs Spider, scorpion,
• No antennae harvestman
• Body divided into two
parts
Arthropod class characteristics examples
crustaceans • Two pairs of antennae Crab, lobster, water flea
• Five to seven pairs of
legs
• Hard chalky shell
Arthropod class characteristics examples
Myriapods • Long , thin segmented Centipede ,millipede
body
• Many pairs of legs
