Diversity of Plant and Animal Life

Diversity of Plant and Animal Life

With an amazing diversity of more than 2 million kinds of organisms, there is a need for CLASSIFICATION.

Classification allows us to…

• group living organisms systematically according to their common characteristics;

• recognise relationships between different living organisms; and

• have an easy reference in identifying living organisms.

Organisms are classified into

FIVE KINGDOMS

Kingdom Animalia

Invertebrates (with no backbone)

• Without jointed legs

• With jointed legs

Vertebrates (with backbone)

• Fish• Reptiles• Birds • Amphibians• Mammals

Invertebrates

• Animals without jointed legs

• E.g. tapeworms, liverflukes

• Have flat, ribbon-like bodies

• Parasites

Flatworms

• E.g. pinworms, ascaris

• E.g. jellyfish• E.g. sponges

• Have long, cylindrical bodies with pointed ends

• Many are parasites

• Sea animals with tentacles and stinging cells

• Large numbers of pores present on bodies

RoundwormsStinging-cell animals

Sponges

• Animals without jointed legs

• E.g. jellyfish

• Sea animals with tentacles and stinging cells

Stinging-cell animals

• E.g. sponges

• Large numbers of pores present on bodies

Sponges

• E.g. pinworms, ascaris

• Have long, cylindrical bodies with pointed ends

• Many are parasites

Roundworms

• E.g. tapeworms, liverflukes

• Have flat, ribbon-like bodies

• Parasites

Flatworms

Invertebrates

• Animals without jointed legs

• E.g. starfish, basket stars

• Bodies are radially symmetrical with five-part body design

• Found only in oceans

• Move with tube feet

Spiny-skinned animals

• E.g. snails, octopuses

• E.g. earthworms, leeches

• Soft bodies may be covered by a shell

• Use muscular movement

• Bodies are divided into segments or parts

• Found in a variety of environments

Molluscs (shelled animals)

Segmented worms

Invertebrates

• )• Animals with jointed legs (Arthropods)

• Bodies are divided into segments or parts

• Bodies are covered with a exoskeleton (a hard substance that keeps the shape of the animals)

• E.g. millipedes, centipedes, prawns, crabs

With more than four pairs of legs

• E.g. spiders, scorpions, mites, ticks

• E.g. butterflies, beetles, termites, houseflies

With four pairs of legs (arachnids)

With 3 pairs of legs (insects)

Vertebrates

• E.g. ducks, chickens, penguins

• Warm-blooded• Have beaks and

feathers• Have wings but not

all can fly• Breathe through

lungs• Lay eggs with

shells

Birds

• E.g. monitor lizards, crocodiles, tortoises

• Cold-blooded• Bodies are covered

with dry skin, and covered with horny scales

• Breathe through lungs

• Live on land

Reptiles

• E.g. human beings, cats, chimpanzees

• Warm-blooded• Bodies are

covered with hair• Breathe through

lungs• Most give birth to

live young

Mammals

• E.g. toads, salamanders, frogs

• E.g. groupers, sea dragons, stingrays

• Cold-blooded• Bodies are

covered by moist skin with no scales

• Breathe through lungs

• Live partly on land and in water

• Cold-blooded• Bodies are often

covered by scales

• Breathe using gills

• Live in fresh water or sea water

AmphibiansFish

Kingdom Plantae

Flowering plants

Non-flowering plants

Flowering plants

• Have roots, stems and leaves

• Reproduce by seeds

• Produce seed-bearing fruits

Non-flowering plants

• Have roots, stems and leaves (needle-like)

• Reproduce by seeds

• Seeds are not found in fruits, by in cones

• Have roots, stems and leaves

• Reproduce by spores

• Spores are found on the underside of leaves

• Have no true roots, stems or leaves

• Reproduce by spores

• Spores are found in capsules

• E.g. pine, white spruce

Gymnosperms

• E.g. Stag’s horn fern, Bird’s nest fern

• E.g. Red moss, Leucobryum glaoum, Diphyscium foliosum

FernsMosses and liverworts

Dichotomous Key• Classifies objects or organisms based on observable features • Splits a group into two contrasting groups each time it branches out• Can be used to identify organisms

Miscellaneous

• http://www.101science.com/Taxonomy.htm

• http://www.nbrcnparks.org/

• http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/