Biology - Classification

Morphological Features

Physical features of the organism

DNA analysis

When genetic sequencing is used to confirm the grouping of an organism, or reclassify it

Plants → Flowering

• Produces flowers

• Roses and daffodils

Plants → Non - flowering

• Does not produce flowers

• Ferns and mosses

Animals - Vertebrates

• Has a backbone

• Humans and reptiles

Animals - Invertebrates

• Has no backbone

• Insects and worms

System for classifying organisms

The Binomial System

King Philip Came Over For Good Soup

• Kingdom

• Phylum

• Class

• Organism

• Family

• Genus

• Species

Why are scientific names important?

Aids identification + classification

Same across the world in any language

Avoids confusion or duplication when talking about the organism in different languages (local or common verse)

Hibernation

• Heart rate + body temperature decreases

• Animals ‘sleep’ to avoid cold weather + food shortages

• Dormice, bats + rats

Migration

• Animals move to a different climate or area

• Move to find food or mates

• Many birds such as swallows + Arctic salmon

Describe three adaptations of this fox to its habitat

• Bigger ears -→ larger surface area allows them to lose heat faster

• Fur Colour → adapted to a more similar colour to its environment, camouflage

• Short Fur → Prevent hot air getting trapped, and making it hotter

Describe three adaptations of this fox to its habitat

• Smaller ears → smaller surface area allows them to reduce heat loss

• Long fur → Insulation, as it traps hot air and reduces heat loss

• White fur → Camouflages into its environment, protects from predators

What do animals compete for?

• Territory

• Mates

• Food

What do plants compete for?

• Water

• Light

• Space

• Minerals

What effects the size of a population?

• Disease

• Predation

• Pollution

Intraspecific

Competition within a species

Interspecific

Competition between different species

Biodiversity

The variety of different species and numbers of individuals within those species in an area

Importance of biodiversity (what does it produce)

• Food

• Potential foods

• Industrial materials

• New medicines

Plans that protect species

• Captive breeding programmes → zoos, aquariums

• National Parks

• Seed/Sperm Banks

• Local Biodiversity Action Plans

Biological Control

Deliberately introducing a living organism to control the population of another pest species

• predator that eats the pest

• bacteria that can destroy the pest

Advantages of Biological Control

• Usually specific to a particular pest

• No need to re-introduce it at a later date

• Does not kill useful insects like bees

Disadvantages of Biological Control

• Delay between introducing the predator and a reduction in the pest

• Can compete with native species and become predators to these

• Can introduce new diseases

Alien species become invasive when…

• they have no predators in the area → population grows out of control

• they compete with native species and cause that species to die out in the area

• they prey on native species, reducing their population

• they carry a disease that existing native species are not immune to

Quadrat Sampling method

1. Lay two 20m tape measures at right angles, along the edge of the area that you are sampling.

2. Roll two 20-sided dice to decide the coordinates.

3. Place the 1m² quadrat at the point where the coordinates meet. This is random sampling and reduces bias.

4. Count the number of daisy plants within the quadrat. Record this result.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 for at least ten quadrat samples. This improves the strength of evidence and gives more confidence in the total population calculated.

Transect Sampling method

• A tape measure or rope is laid out across the area to be sampled; this is the transect line.

• Quadrats are laid down at regular intervals along the transect line.

• The plants (and sometimes animals) in the quadrats are recorded.

Transects can show

• The frequency of a species in a habitat

• The distribution of a species in a habitat

Capture-recapture method

1. Animals are captured, marked and released.

2. A few days later, the animals are recaptured.

3. The numbers of marked and unmarked animals caught in the traps are recorded.

4. The population size is estimated using the following equation

Assumptions made in capture-recapture

• there is no death

• there is no mass immigration or emigration

• the marking technique does not affect chances of survival.*

*The marking technique must not be toxic or make the species more visible to predators