BIOLOGY IGCSE 0610 NOTES 2024-28

Syllabus Overview

  • Characteristics And Classification Of Living Organisms

  • Cells And Organisation Of The Organism

  • Movements In And Out Of Cells

  • Biological Molecules

  • Enzymes

  • Plant Nutrition

  • Human Nutrition

  • Transport In Plants

  • Transport In Animals

  • Diseases and Immunity

  • Gas Exchange

  • Respiration

  • Excretion In Humans

  • Coordination And Response

  • Drugs

  • Reproduction

  • Inheritance

  • Variation And Selection

  • Organisms And Their Environment

  • Biotechnology And Genetic Modification

  • Human Influences On Ecosystems

Characteristics Of Living Organisms

Definition

  • Organisms must exhibit the following characteristics to be considered living:

    • Movement: Relocation of an organism or part of an organism.

    • Respiration: Biochemical reactions in cells that break down nutrients to release energy.

    • Sensitivity: Ability to perceive internal/external stimuli; e.g., a Venus flytrap reacting to a fly.

    • Growth: An increase in size and mass due to cell proliferation.

    • Reproduction: Mechanism by which organisms produce offspring. E.g., bacteria by binary fission, plants by sexual/asexual processes, mammals sexually.

    • Excretion: Process of elimination of metabolic wastes (e.g., CO2, urea).

    • Nutrition: Assimilation of substances for energy, growth, and development (e.g., plants via photosynthesis, animals via organic compounds).

Concept of Classification

Purpose

  • Organisms are grouped based on shared features to reflect evolutionary relationships.

  • Recent ancestors categorize animals together (e.g. mammals share a recent ancestor).

Criteria for Classification

  1. Morphology and Anatomy: Similar appearances lead to similar classifications.

  2. DNA Analysis: Genetic similarities help classify organisms more accurately than morphology.

    • Identical DNA sequences confirm same species; greater differences indicate distant ancestry.

Kingdoms of Organisms

  • Organisms fall within five kingdoms:

    • Animalia: Multicellular organisms like lions, goats, and bees.

    • Plantae: Multicellular organisms like trees