Name: ________________________________ Block: 7 SC _________ Date: _____________

CHAPTER 2: CLASSIFICATION

2.1 Characteristics of Living Things 2.3 Classification Key

2.2 Diversity and Classification of Organisms

2.1 Characteristics of Living Things

In the world around us, there are __________________ and _______________________.

Living things are also called ____________________.
How do we differentiate between the two? Living things have certain characteristics.
How many characteristics do living things have? _______________.
No Characteristics Explanation
1 Movement  Animals can move about from one place to another.
 Plants can move parts of themselves, e.g. their roots can
grow through the soil towards water.
2 Respiration  Living things need energy. Plants and animals get this
(not the same as breathing) energy by using oxygen to “burn” food.
3 Sensitivity  If you accidentally touch something very hot, you quickly
(responds to stimuli) pull your hand away. This is said to be responding to
stimuli (the heat is the stimulus).
 The leaves of the plants always turn towards sunlight and
the roots grow towards water. This shows that plants
also respond to stimuli (light and water are the stimuli).

4 Growth  Babies grow into adults and kittens into adult cats.
 Seeds germinate and grow into big plants.

5 Reproduction
(membiak)
6 Excretion
(removal of waste)
 Living things reproduce to ensure that they do not die out
or become extinct. (supaya inda pupus)
 Living things remove waste products and unwanted
substances from their bodies through a process called
excretion.
 Examples of waste products are carbon dioxide, urine.

7 Nutrition  Living things need food and water to stay alive.

(permakanan)  Green plants make their own food by using sunlight,
water and carbon dioxide. (photosynthesis)

How can we remember these characteristics? MRS GREN.

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2.2 Diversity and Classification of Organisms

The Earth supports a wide variety of living organisms. This variety is known as diversity.
There are millions of organisms, and more are being discovered.
How can we organise this wide diversity of organisms? We can ___________________ them.
What is classification? Classification is the __________________ of things into groups, with
each group having their own ____________________________________.
Living organisms can be broadly classified into three categories:

Living things

Activity Classify the following animals:

Cat Dog Fish Cow

Snake Pipit Frog
Whale Shark Eel
Earthworm Snake Hen

Animals

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2.2.1 Plants

How can plants be divided? Plants can be divided into _________ major groups:
1. Plants that reproduce by seed, also known as ___________________ plants
2. Plants that do not reproduce by seed, also known as ___________________ plants
Seed Plants
Seed plants can be sub-divided into two sub-groups:
Seed plant Characteristics Examples
 Plants that produce flowers
 Roots, stems and leaves are present Hibiscus, lily
 Seeds are found inside fruits
 Plants that do not produce flowers
 Roots, stems and leaves are present
Pine tree, juniper
 Have needle-like leaves
 Seeds are found in the cone

Seedless Plants
Seedless plants can also be sub-divided into two sub-groups:
Seedless plant Characteristics Examples
 Simple plants which do not have roots, stems
or leaves
 Reproduce by spores
Seaweed
 Live in water or in very wet places
 Most are green in colour, while others are
either red or brown
 Roots, stems and leaves are present
 Reproduce by spores which are on the
Bracken fern, bird’s
underside of their leaves
nest fern
 Young leaves are rolled up
 Live on land, in most and shady places

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2.2.2 Animals

How can animals be divided? Animals can be divided into _________ main groups:
1. Animals with backbone, also known as ____________________.
2. Animals without backbone, also known as ____________________.
Vertebrates
Vertebrates can be further sub-divided into five sub-groups:
Vertebrate Characteristics Examples
 Cold-blooded
 Body covered with scales
Fish
 Breathe through gills
 Live in water
 Cold-blooded
 Moist skin, no scales
Amphibian
 Breathe through lungs and moist skin
 Live partly on land and in water
 Cold-blooded
 Skin is dry and hard with scales
Reptile  Breathe through lungs
 Lay eggs with leathery shells
 Live on land (some spend time in water)
 Warm-blooded
 Have beaks
 Have feathers
Bird
 Have wings, but not all birds can fly
 Breathe through lungs
 Lay eggs
 Warm-blooded
 Have hair or fur
 Breathe through lungs
Mammal
 Give birth to their young
 Females have mammary glands that produce milk
to feed the young

They can also be classified according to whether they are warm-blooded or cold-blooded:
Warm-blooded animals Cold-blooded animals
The internal body temperature of the
The internal body temperature of the
Meaning animal changes with surrounding
animal is always the same
temperature
Groups of
vertebrate

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Invertebrates
Invertebrates can be further sub-divided into 3 sub-groups
Invertebrate Characteristics Examples
 Soft body that may be covered by a shell
Molluscs
 Use muscular foot to move

 Have long cylindrical bodies

Annelids  Bodies are divided into many segments
 Each segment may have bristles

 Divided into many segments

 Covered with hard exoskeleton, which gives
them shape and protection
 There are three types of arthropods
Arthropods
(a) Insects - 3 pairs of legs
(b) Arachnids - 4 pairs of legs
(c) Myriapods - more than 4 pairs of legs

2.2.3 Microorganisms

What are micro-organisms? Microorganisms are _________________ living organisms that

can only be seen under a _______________________. They are neither plants nor animals.
Microorganism Description Can cause
 Organisms with one cell.
 Can only be seen under a microscope
 Larger than viruses
 Useful in breakdown of dead plants and animals Diseases such as
Bacteria cholera, tuberculosis,
 Used to curdle milk in the process of making
meningitis, and tetanus
cheese and yoghurt
 Harmful, because they can cause diseases in living
plants and animals

 Smallest organisms that can cause disease Diseases such as AIDS,

Viruses H1N1, influenza, and
 Can only be seen under electron microscope
hepatitis
 Have no roots, stems or leaves
 Made up of many fine threads Body infections, such as
 Some feed on dead matter, others feed on living ringworm, athlete’s
Fungi
plants and animals foot, and mouth
 Useful type of fungi is Penicillum notatum, which infection.
is used to make antibiotic (penicillin)

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2.3 Classification Key

What is a classification key? A classification key is a chart which classifies things by dividing
them into groups on each successive sorting.
How does a classification key work? Each sorting makes use of one feature only. The
characteristic feature used must be a permanent one.
Example:
Build a classification key to identify a group of teachers. We can use features such as gender,
height, whether or not they wear spectacles/glasses. We cannot use the colour of clothes
worn by the teachers, as they change their clothes daily.

Identify the following invertebrates using the classification key

A B C D

(a) Legs

YES NO

(b) Four Pairs of Legs (c) Any shell

YES NO YES NO

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