Students should be able to:

Classification

1.1. Group living organisms found in a named habitat based on observed similarities and
differences;

a) Visible characteristics, such as hairiness, colour, shape, venation, number of legs and
wings, and body segmentation of organs found in both plants and animals as
appropriate.
b) Common names of organisms and groups are acceptable.

1.2. Classify organisms into taxonomic groups based on physical similarities;

a) Simple classification of all living organisms into the five kingdoms:

i. Plantae,
ii. Animalia;
iii. Fungi (mushroom),
iv. Prokaryotae (Bacteria)
v. Proctotista (amoeba).
b. Further subdivision of the Animal Kingdom into Phyla,
i. Chordata (VERTEBRATES) which includes 5 Classes (fish, reptiles, insects,
birds, mammals).
a. INVERTEBRATES which include classes of Phyla ARTHROPODS { insect (ant),
arachnid (ticks), chilopods (centipede), diplopods (millipede), crustaceans
(shrimp)}
ii. These are further classified to the level of species. Modern classification
uses DNA sequences to determine ancestry.
 What you should know from reading, goggling and listening during class

1. Grouping organisms based on features or characteristics – classification

a. Try to classify the books in your school bag or students in your class.
2. Living things or organisms have seven known traits, describe them.
a. Describe growth respiration irritability movement nutrition excretion reproduction
i. An increase in cells or an increase in ‘permanent’ materials put together by the body
ii. The release of energy from food to do work within the cells of the body
iii. The ability to sense (detect and respond) changes in the environment
iv. The ability to move a part or the whole of an organism towards or away from environmental changes
(stimulus)
v. The cell’s ability to get nutrients from the environment for energy, growth and repair
vi. The cell’s removal of waste material produced after chemical reactions of the body (metabolic waste)
vii. The ability of cells to replicate to produce cells like itself using the Chromosome information of its
nucleus
3. Name the groups used in the classification of organisms

a. Kingdom phylum class order family genus and species

Kings play chess or family gets spliced. (See if you can create another)
4. Organisms can be grouped into 5 kingdoms
a. Name these kingdoms and give an example of each. Fappp – (see if you can create a word to remember
them)
i. fungi/mushroom,
ii. animals/man,
iii. plants/mango tree,
iv. protista/amoeba,
v. prokaryotes/bacteria.
 b. State two points of description for each kingdom. Describe use table FOR classification

5. Animals with and without backbones are respectively called: vertebrates and invertebrates
6. Annelid, porifera, cnidaria, echinoderms, molluscs, are all phylum of : invertebrates
a. State one example (name an animal) of each class earthworm, sponges, coral, star fishes, snails.
b. State two points of description for each phylum listed above. (can you think of others)
i. Multiple segments/fluid filled body walls,
ii. multicellular/pores throughout its body,
iii. multicellular/single entrance a mouth,
iv. five part radial symmetry/calcareous bodies,
v. have shells/body a muscular foot.
7. Phylum ___ missing from the list of question 5 and is divided into five classes - arthropods
a. State two features of the phylum - exoskeletons, jointed legs, body segments
b. State the five classes and a named example – insect ant, arachnid ticks, chilopods centipede, diplopods
millipede, crustacians shrimp
c. State two points of description for each class – (can you think of others)
i. Antennae ,3pairs of legs, 3 body segments
ii. 2 body segments,4 pairs of legs
iii. Fang, Many body segments with one pair of legs per segment
iv. Many body segments with two pairs of legs per segment
v. gills, pincers
8. Animals with backbones are divided into five classes
a. State the five classes and a named example- raamp – turtle, frog, hawk, man, shark
b. State two points of description for each class-
i. Covered with dry scales, lay egg with leathery shells
ii. moist skin, life span on water then land
iii. hard egg shells, body covered with feathers
iv. live young, mammary glands for milk production
v. covered with moist scales, move using fins

Now you try

1. Grouping organisms based on features or characteristics –

2. Living things or organisms have seven known traits, describe them.
3. Organisms can be grouped into 5 kingdoms
a. Name these kingdoms and give an example of each.
b. State two points of description for each kingdom.
4. Animals with and without backbones are respectively called:
5. Annelid, porifera, cnidaria, echinoderms, molluscs, are all phylum of :
a. State one example (name an animal) of each class
b. State two points of description for each phylum listed above.
6. Phylum ___ missing from the list of question 5 are divided into five classes
a. State two features of the phylum
b. State the five classes and a named example
c. State two points of description for each class
7. Animals with backbones are divided into five classes
a. State the five classes and a named example
b. State two points of description for each class
 Complete the next exercise by filling in the blanks

CLASSIFICATION

1. Classification is the grouping of organisms into groups based on ____________ or

features. These features may be visible, or known.
2. Visible differences that are used to separate organisms into various groups include
a. Shape
b. Body structure
i. Two / three body s__________
ii. Presence/absence of limbs
iii. Number of l_______
c. Body covering
i. F______
ii. S_______
iii. F_________
iv. hair
d. Method of locomotion
i. Swimming
ii. Flying
iii. Crawling
iv. Walking
3. Known features that are used to separate organisms into various groups include
a. Body temperature
b. Reproduction
i. Live birth
ii. Lays eggs
c. Respiratory organs
i. Gills
ii. Lungs
iii. Trachea
iv. B_____ l______

4. Place the following into groups based on VISIBLE differences.

 Use the following as guidelines
a. feathers / no feathers __________________________________

b. scales / no scales _____________________________________

c. legs / no legs _________________________________________

d. fins / no fins __________________________________________

5. Use KNOWN features to separate the same organisms. Use the following as guidelines
a. Warm blooded / cold blooded ______________________________

b. Moist skin / dry skin ____________________________________

c. Gills / no gills _________________________________________

d. Lays eggs / give birth to live young _________________________

6. Each feature can be further divided to separate the organisms into smaller categories.
EG. “lays eggs” can be further divided into “lays eggs on land” and “lays eggs in water”/
eggs with soft, leathery or hard shells.
7. From the question above (d) fish, lizard, frog and pigeon lay eggs.
a. Which lays eggs on land? _______________________________
b. Which lays eggs in water? _______________________________
c. Soft _______________, leathery __________, hard _________

Organisms are classified into groups

Different types of organisms can be identified based on their characteristics. Biologists group
organisms based on the characteristics that they share. There are five main groups into which
all organisms are placed. These groups are called _____________.

The five ___________ are

 1. Prokaryotae (bacteria)
2. Proctotista (amoeba)
3. Fungi (mushrooms)
4. _______
5. Animalia

Within each kingdom organisms are grouped into phyla (singular phylum) and then classes.

Kingdom Animalia (animal)

Phylum

 Annelida
 Mollusca
 Echinodermata
 Porifera
 Cnidaria
 Arthropoda
 Chordate

Class

 Arthropoda
o _________ (crabs)
o Diplopoda (millipede)
o Chilopoda (centipede)
o _______ (ants)
o Arachnida (spiders)
 Chordata
o _______ (cascadura)
o Aves (birds)
o Reptiles ( turtles)
o ___________ (frogs)
o Mammalian (mammals)

Phylum __________

These are corals, jellyfish and sea anemones. They all live in water because their
soft bodies will dry out very quickly on land. They have a ring of tentacles
surrounding the mouth. The mouth is the only opening in the digestive system –
they have no anus.

Characteristics

 Body wall made up of only two layers of cells

 Ring of tentacles with mouth at the centre
 Only one opening to gut.
 Tentacles have sting cells which are used for catching prey
 Coral polyp. Many join to make a large colonial organism.

Phylum _________________

These are starfish, sea urchins and sand dollars. They are found in the sea,

Characteristics

 Five-part radial symmetry

 Body wall contains calcareous particles
 Many have a shell with projecting spines
Phylum _______________

These are animals with jointed legs, but no backbone. They have a waterproof
exoskeleton which has allowed them to live on dry land.

Characteristics

 Several pairs of jointed legs

 Exoskeleton

Class ________________

These are crabs, lobsters, and woodlice. They breathe through gills, so most of
them live in wet places and many are aquatic.

Characteristics

 Have more than four pairs of

jointed legs
 Breathe through gill crab
 antennae

Name some more examples below

lobster woodlouse

Class __________________

These are spiders, ticks and scorpions

Characteristics Spider

 Have four pairs of jointed legs

 Breathe through gills called
book lungs
Class Myriapods has two sub classes

Class __________________  Both have antennae

These are millipedes

Characteristics

 Body consists of many segments

 Each segment has two pairs of
legs

Class ___________________

These are centipedes

Characteristics

 Body consists of many segments

 Each segment has one pairs of
legs
 Front segment has a large pair
of poison claws
Class _____________________

These are ants, moths, butterflies, cockroaches, locust, ladybugs, beetles,

mosquitoes, bees and flies

Characteristics

 Have three pairs of jointed legs

 Three body segments
 Have two pairs of wings
 Breathe through trachea
 antennae
Phylum Chordata

These are animals with a supporting rod running along the length of the body. The
most familiar ones have a backbone, and are called ______________.

Class Pisces

The fish all live in water with a few exceptions – the mudskipper can spend short
periods of time breathing air.

Characteristics

 moist scaly skin

 Have gills
 Have fins

Class Amphibia

Frogs and toads are amphibians.

Characteristics

 Vertebrates with moist scale-

less skin
 Eggs laid in water, larva
(tadpole) lives in water
 Adult often lives on land
 Larva has gills adult has lungs

Class Reptilia

These are crocodiles, lizards, snakes  Mostly adapted to live on land

and turtles.

Characteristics

 Vertebrates with scaly skin

 Lays eggs with rubbery shell
Class Aves
These are birds
Characteristics
 Vertebrates with feathers
 Forelimbs have become wings
 Lay eggs with hard shells
 Homeothermic/____________
 Have a beak

Class Mammalia

These are humans, dogs, cats, rats, elephants, rabbits and whales,

Characteristics

 Vertebrates with hair

 Have a placenta
 Young feed on milk from mammary glands
 Homeothermic
 Have a diaphragm
 Heart has four chambers
 Have different types of teeth
 Brain well developed
PLACING ORGANISMS INTO THEIR CORRECT GROUPS

We can use a dichotomous key system that uses a pair of features to classify
organisms. They occur in two forms

1. Spider key {flow diagram}

2. Number key {pairs of statements}

To decide whether an organism belongs to a particular group you can ask a question
that requires a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. In order to fully classify an organism you need
to ask a series of questions.

Below is a simple flow diagram or spider key for classifying vertebrates

Questions

1.
.

I. State two features of each organism

II. Identify features that are common and features that are different
 III. Create a spider key and number key to classify the following organism using the
letter names given.

1.

2.

3.