Chapter 1

Classifying Plants and Animals

Lesson 1

Cells

A cell is the building block of life. It is the smallest unit of a living thing and can perform all life processes.

All living things are made of cells. Some living things are made of one cell, most living

things are many celled. Every part of you from your muscles to your blood is

made of billions of cells. Cells have a certain role. Some cells help you get

energy and some cells help protect you. Microscopes are needed to see cells.

CellsPLANT CELL ANIMAL CELL

Cell Parts Cells that make up all animals have many similar

parts. All cells have a cell membrane, cytoplasm, and

a nucleus. A nucleus is the control center for the cell. It

acts like a brain. The cell membrane is the cell’s outer border. It

controls what moves in and out of the cell. The cytoplasm contains all the things the cell

needs to carry out its life processes.

How are plant and animal cells different?

Plant cells have a cell membrane, cytoplasm, and a nucleus.

Plant cells have two parts that animal cells do not have.

Plants have to make their own food. Chloroplasts are parts of a plant cell that trap the Sun’s energy. Plants use this energy for food.

Plant cells also have a cell wall. The cell wall is outside of the cell membrane. It helps to support and protect the cell.

CellsPLANT CELL ANIMAL CELL

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The Living Cell

Cells Work Together Cells are like building blocks. They build an

animal or plant. Cells work together. Different cells do different

kinds of work. Groups of the same type of cells form a tissue. Groups of tissues that work together form

organs. Groups of organs that work together form

systems.

Lesson 2

How are living things grouped?

There are over 1 MILLION different kinds of organisms.

Scientists have to sort all living things into different groups.

They look at its cells and parts the cells have. They think about where it lives and how it

gets its food. All organisms in the same group have

common characteristics.

How would you classify these animals?

Kingdoms

The largest classification system is a kingdom. Some classification systems have six kingdoms. All animals- from ants to elephants are in the animal

kingdom. All plants belong to another kingdom. Scientists also see how an organism gets its food in

determining what kingdom it is in. Turn to p. 11

Kingdoms

What kingdom group is many-celled organisms with tissue, organs, and systems. They do not make their own food and eat other plants and animals.

What kingdom group is one-celled with a nucleus and other cell parts. They live in water and a moist environment?

What kingdom group make their own food, have one cell, and have no separate nucleus?

Answers:

Animal Kingdom Protists Kingdom

Ancient Bacteria Kingdom

Getting More Specific

Scientists divide kingdoms into smaller groups. They keep dividing into smaller and smaller groups.

They use the organism’s features to decide whether the organism belongs in the same group.

Scientists use the smallest two groups to name organisms. The first part of an organism’s scientific name is its genus. The second part of an organism’s scientific name is its species.

Genus

A genus is a group of closely related living things. This name is the first name of the scientific name.

Black-footed cat

Felis nigripes

House cat

Felis domesticus

Species A species is a group of similar organisms that can mate and

produce offspring. The species name often describes and characteristic, such as where the organism lives or its color. The species name is the second part of the scientific name.

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Canis lupis

Lesson 3

How are plants classified? One way plants are classified is by how they

transport water and nutrients. Vascular plants have tubes that connect the

leaves, stems, and roots to transport water and nutrients. Examples of vascular plants are grass, celery, ferns, trees, and dandelions.

Nonvascular plants do not have roots, stems, or leaves. They pass water and nutrients only from one cell to the cell next to it. Water does not travel very far or quickly. The plants are usually small. Examples of nonvascular plants are mosses, hornworts, and liverworts.

Vascular and Nonvascular Plants

Vascular Plants Nonvascular Plants

Have tubes that carry water to the roots, stems, and leaves

Transports water from cell to cell. These plants don’t have roots, stems, or regular looking leaves.

How are plants classified? The second way plants are classified is how they

reproduce and make new plants. Plants with flowers or cones reproduce from

seeds. Pine trees have seeds, but do not make flowers. Their pine cone makes seeds. Pine trees are called conifers.

Some plants reproduce by producing tiny cells called spores. Spores can grow into new plants. Examples of plants with spores are ferns and mosses.

Plants with seeds and sporesSeeds Spores

A seed has many cells and has a young plant and stored food inside. Flowering plants and trees with cones reproduce with seeds.

A spore has one cell. They need a moist, shady area to grow into a new plant. Spores look like brown dots. Moss and ferns are examples of plants with spores.

Lesson 4

How are animals classified?Scientists divide animals into

two groups: those with backbones and animals without backbones.

Animals with backbones are vertebrates.

Animals without backbones are invertebrates.

Vertebrates Vertebrates are animals with backbones. You are a

vertebrate. The five classes of vertebrates are fish, amphibians,

reptiles, birds, and mammals.

Invertebrates Invertebrates are animals without a

backbone. Most of the animals in the world are invertebrates.

Some invertebrates have a soft body like jellyfish and worms.

Arthropods are invertebrates with jointed legs. They have a soft body covered by a hard exoskeleton. The exoskeleton acts like armor protecting the animal. Insects, spiders, and crabs are examples of arthropods.

InvertebratesARTHROPODS

Other Invertebrates

Lesson 5

Adaptations An ADAPTATION is a physical feature or

behavior that helps an animal get food, protect itself, move, or reproduce. Every animal needs food, water, oxygen, and shelter to survive.

Sometimes there are not enough resources to go around and animals with good adaptations have a better chance of getting the resources it needs and surviving.

Adaptations Birds have many adaptations

to help them get what they need.

They have feathers to help them fly.

The shape of the beak helps them get the food that they need.

Webbed feet help ducks move in the water.

Cactus wrens can go without much water in the desert.

Adaptations Mammals have many

adaptations to help them survive.

Polar bears have thick coats of fur to keep them warm. Their sharp claws and teeth help them eat food.

A giraffe has a long neck to reach leaves in trees.

Humans have two eyes in front to tell how far away things are.

Adaptations that protect

Some animals have adaptations that help them from being eaten by predators.

Some animals can blend in to protect itself. They have colors, shapes, and patterns that can keep them hidden from predators.

Adaptations that protect Some animals have poison to

protect them. The poison dart frog has

enough poison to kill a person. The European green toad has a poison glad behind each eye.

Some animals have a different way of moving to escape their predators.

Birds’ wings allow them to fly away.

Fins allow fish to swim away from a predator.

Other animals can run at top speed longer than their enemies.

Animal Instincts Instincts are behaviors that

are inherited. Ducklings just know to follow their mother.

Migration is traveling in search of food or a place to reproduce. Most animals migrate for the winter. Canada geese migrate to Mexico to escape the cold winter. They can fly 60 miles an hour.

Hibernation is a state of inactivity that occurs in some animals when outside temperatures are cold. Animals conserve energy by sleeping. They eat a lot before and store energy for while they are hibernating.

Parents Teach Offspring Animals have a lot of adaptations and instincts

to survive. Parents also teach their offspring how to

survive. Lion cubs learn to hunt from their parents. A herd of zebras learn to stay together and not

be by themselves. A lion cub learns to pounce on prey by pouncing

on its mother’s tail.