BIOLOGY
characteristic of Living Things
M ovement = A change in position by the whole body or part of an organism.
R espiration = A chemical process in cells that turns nutrients into energy, usually using oxygen.
S Sensitivity = The ability to sense changes and respond correctly.
G rowth = A permanent increase in size due to more or larger cells.
R eproduction = The process of making more of the same kind of organism, either sexually or asexually.
E xcretion = Removal of waste from the body, including harmful and excess substances.
N utrition = Taking in materials for energy, growth, and development.
Binomial nomenclature is a system used to give every living organism a two-part scientific name.
The first part is the genus (group of closely related species).
The second part is the species (specific name for the organism).
For example, in Homo sapiens:
Homo = genus
sapiens = species
Purpose of naming living organism
Universal Communication
Scientists worldwide use a common language to avoid confusion.Uniqueness
Each species has a unique two-part name.Classification and Organization
Names help group species by evolutionary relationships.Consistency in Research
Ensures uniform naming across different scientific fields.Global Awareness
Enables clear communication across languages and cultures
rules of naming
Two-Part Name (Genus and Species)
Genus: first part, capitalized.
Species: second part, lowercase.
Example: Homo sapiens.
Italicization or Underlining
Printed names are italicized.
Handwritten names are underlined.
Example: Panthera leo or Felis catus.
Latin or Latinized Words
Names are from Latin or Latinized to be universal.
Example: leo means lion, catus means domestic cat.
Genus Name Can Be Abbreviated
After writing the full name once, the genus can be shortened to its first letter with a period.
Example: Homo sapiens → H. sapiens.
Unique for Each Species
Each species must have a unique combination of genus and species names.
Authorship
Sometimes the scientist’s name who first described the species is added after the species name.
Example: Panthera leo Linnaeus.
Tautonyms (For Animals)
When genus and species names are the same (e.g., Gorilla gorilla). Allowed for animals but not plants.
EXAMPLE :
Carcharodon carcharias
Canis lupus
Morelia tracyae
rules of naming subspecies
genus - species - subspecies
food chain and food web
Food chain: energy transfer from one organism to another, starting with a producer. Example: grass → grasshopper → frog → snake → eagle.
Food web: interconnected food chains showing animals eat many foods. Example: a frog eats grasshoppers, but can also be eaten by snakes, birds, or fish.
Definitions
Producer: makes its own food using sunlight (e.g., plants, algae).
Consumer: gets energy by eating others (e.g., humans).
Herbivore: eats plants (e.g., cows, deer).
Carnivore: eats animals (e.g., lions, eagles).
Decomposer: breaks down dead material (e.g., fungi, bacteria).
Trophic levels
Trophic Level 1 – Producers 🌱
Plants or algae.
They make their own food through photosynthesis.
All energy in the food chain starts here.
Trophic Level 2 – Primary Consumers (Herbivores) 🐰
Animals that eat plants (like rabbits, deer, grasshoppers).
Trophic Level 3 – Secondary Consumers (Carnivores) 🐍
Animals that eat herbivores (like snakes, frogs, small predators).
Trophic Level 4 – Tertiary Consumers (Top Carnivores) 🦅
Animals at the top of the chain that eat other carnivores (like eagles, lions, sharks).
🔑 Key idea:
Energy flows up the chain from producers → herbivores → carnivores → top predators.
At each level, some energy is lost as heat, so higher levels have less energy and usually fewer organisms.
Sun as source of energy
Almost all life depends on the Sun. Plants capture sunlight by photosynthesis, and this energy flows through food chains. All food and energy on Earth come from the Sun, captured by plants through photosynthesis and passed to animals.
Over harvesting
Over-harvesting reduces species numbers until they become endangered or extinct, harming biodiversity. Animals are taken for food, body parts (like tusks, horns, bones, fur), or sold as pets.
The effects of introduced invasive species
Biodiversity Loss 🌱🐾 – reduces native species diversity.
Ecosystem Disruption 🌍 – upsets natural balance and food chains.
Economic Impacts 💰 – damages agriculture and causes financial loss.
Human Health Risks 🧑⚕ – spreads diseases or harms human health.
Impact on Native Fauna 🦉 – threatens local animals through competition and predation.
Pyramid of numbers
The Pyramid of Numbers shows how the number of organisms usually decreases as you go up the food chain, but the shape can change depending on the ecosystem.
Pyramid of biomass
The pyramid of biomass shows the total mass of living material (biomass) at each trophic level in a food chain.
It gives a better idea of energy available than just counting numbers
Advantages of using a pyramid of biomass rather than a pyramid of numbers to represent a food chain!
A pyramid of biomass is better because it shows the real amount of living material and energy at each trophic level, not just the number of organisms.
Advantages of using a pyramid of numbers rather than a pyramid of biomass to represent a food chain
A pyramid of numbers is better because it is simple to make and shows the population size at each level clearly.
A biomass pyramid reflects energy flow and avoids misleading sizes but is hard to measure, while a pyramid of numbers is easy to make and shows population counts but can be misleading and ignores energy
Living things classified
Kingdom: Kategori luas, misal Animalia, Plantae.
Phylum: Kelompok berdasarkan ciri utama, misal Chordata.
Kelas: Kelompok lebih spesifik dalam filum, misal Mammalia.
Ordo: Kelompok rinci dalam kelas, misal Primates.
Famili: Kelompok dekat dalam ordo, misal Hominidae.
Genus: Spesies terkait, misal Homo.
Spesies: Paling spesifik; bisa kawin silang, misal Homo sapiens.