Classification of Living Things – Test 4 Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering characteristics of life, Linnaean taxonomy, kingdoms, invertebrate and vertebrate classifications, and thermal regulation terms.

Living Things

Organisms that exhibit the eight life functions: move, reproduce, nutrition, grow, respond, exchange gases, remove waste, regulate water.

MR N GREWW

: Move, Reproduce, Nutrition, Grow, Respond, Exchange gases, Waste removal, Water regulation.

Non-living

Objects that were never alive and do not possess any life functions.

Dead

Something that was once living but no longer performs life functions.

Linnaean Taxonomy

system for classifying organisms devised by Carl Linnaeus.

Kingdom

Largest basic taxonomic rank in the Linnaean system.

Phylum

Taxonomic rank below kingdom and above class.

Class

Taxonomic rank below phylum and above order.

Order

Taxonomic rank below class and above family.

Family

Taxonomic rank below order and above genus.

Genus

Group of closely related species; first part of a scientific name and capitalised.

Species

Group of organisms that look alike and second part of a scientific name and lowercase.

Binomial Nomenclature

Two-word scientific naming system using genus and species names.

Multicellular

Organism composed of more than one cell.

Unicellular

Organism composed of a single cell.

Nucleus

structure that stores a cell’s DNA.

Cell Wall

Rigid layer outside the cell in plants, fungi, bacteria, and some protists providing support.

Photosynthesis

Process of using sunlight to produce nutrients (common in plants).

Kingdom Animalia

Multicellular, no cell wall, DNA in nucleus, obtain food by ingestion.

Kingdom Plantae

Multicellular, cell wall, DNA in nucleus, make food via photosynthesis.

Kingdom Fungi

Mostly multicellular, cell wall, DNA in nucleus, absorb nutrients (decomposers).

Kingdom Monera

Prokaryotic (no nucleus), unicellular, cell wall present; includes bacteria.

Kingdom Protista

Eukaryotic, mostly unicellular but diverse; DNA in nucleus; variable nutrition.

Invertebrate

Animal with an external skeleton or no skeleton

Vertebrate

Animal that possesses a backbone or spine.

Endoskeleton

Internal skeleton located inside an organism’s body.

Exoskeleton

Hard external skeleton or shell on the outside of an organism.

Arthropods

Invertebrates with segmented bodies, jointed legs, and exoskeletons (e.g., insects, spiders).

Cnidarians

Aquatic invertebrates with soft hollow bodies and tentacles (e.g., jellyfish, coral).

Echinoderms

Marine invertebrates with spiny skin and radial arms (e.g., sea urchins).

Poriferans

Sponges; porous, attached aquatic invertebrates with spongy bodies.

Nematodes / Platyhelminths / Annelids

Worm groups with soft elongated bodies; may be round, flat, or segmented (e.g., leeches, tapeworms).

Molluscs

Soft-bodied invertebrates usually protected by a shell (e.g., snails, octopuses).

Mammalia

Warm-blooded vertebrates with hair/fur that give birth to live young.

Reptilia

Cold-blooded vertebrates with dry scales; breathe with lungs; lay leathery-shelled eggs.

Aves

Warm-blooded vertebrates with feathers and hard-shelled eggs; birds.

Amphibia

Cold-blooded vertebrates with moist skin; egg and larval stages in water, adults may live on land.

Pisces

Fish; mostly cold-blooded vertebrates with gills, fins, and scales.

Endotherm

Organism that maintains a constant internal body temperature (warm-blooded).

Ectotherm

Organism whose body temperature varies with the environment (cold-blooded).