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 Fungi Kingdom Monera Kingdom Protoctista Kingdom Plantae Kingdom Animalia

Kingdom Animalia Invertebrates (with no backbone) Vertebrates (with backbone) Without jointed legs With jointed legs Fish Reptiles Birds Amphibians Mammals

Invertebrates 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 Sponges Stinging-cell animals Flatworms Roundworms Large numbers of pores present on bodies Sea animals with tentacles and stinging cells Have flat, ribbon-like bodies Parasites Have long, cylindrical bodies with pointed ends Many are parasites E.g. sponges E.g. jellyfish E.g. tapeworms, liverflukes E.g. pinworms, ascaris

Invertebrates Animals without jointed legs Spiny-skinned animals 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 Birds Reptiles Mammals Amphibians Fish 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 Live on land Reptiles E.g. human beings, cats, chimpanzees Bodies are covered with hair Most give birth to live young Mammals E.g. toads, salamanders, frogs E.g. groupers, sea dragons, stingrays Bodies are covered by moist skin with no scales Live partly on land and in water Bodies are often covered by scales Breathe using gills Live in fresh water or sea water Amphibians Fish

Kingdom Plantae Flowering plants Non-flowering plants

Flowering plants Have roots, stems and leaves Reproduce by seeds Produce seed-bearing fruits

Non-flowering plants Gymnosperms Ferns Mosses and liverworts 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 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 Ferns Mosses 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/