Characteristics of living things

Question 1

Explain the common characteristic : RESPIRATION

Answer 1

Respiration is the chemical reaction that breaks down nutrient molecules in living cells to release energy.

Question 2

Explain the common characteristic : SENSITIVITY

Answer 2

Sensitivity is the ability to detect or sense changes in the environment (internal or external, or = stimuli) and to make appropriate responses.

Question 3

Explain the common characteristic : GROWTH

Answer 3

Growth is a permanent increase in size and/or body mass (dry mass) by an increase in cell number, cell size or both. This characteristic requires energy, which is provided through respiration.

Question 4

Explain the common characteristic : REPRODUCTION

Answer 4

reproduction is the process that makes more of the the same kind of organism. This characteristic requires energy, which is provided through respiration.

Question 5

Explain the common characteristic : EXCRETION

Answer 5

Excretion is the removal from organisms of the waste products or metabolism (= respiration + toxic materials + substances in excess of requirement) that the metabolism doesn’t need.

Question 6

Explain the common characteristic : NUTRITION

Answer 6

Nutrition is the taking in of nutrients (materials) for energy, growth and development. Plants require : light, carbon dioxide, water, ions
Animals require : organic compounds, ions, water
Autotrophs : make their own nutrition e.g. Plants
Heterotrophs : consume food for nutrition
Saprophytes : feed on dead things
Parasites : feed on living things, causing harm

Question 7

What is the classification system called ?

Answer 7

BINOMIAL SYSTEM of naming species

Question 8

Give the 2 scientific names of all organisms

Answer 8

1) a GENUS (with a capital letter)
2) a SPECIES (underlined, in lower case OR in italics)

E.g. Homo sapiens

Question 9

What is the BINOMIAL system of naming species ?

Answer 9

The binomial system of naming species is an internationally agreed system in which the scientific name of an organism is made up of 2 parts showing the genus and species.

Question 10

How are organisms classified ?

Answer 10

Classified into groups, by the feature that they share

Question 11

Define species.

Answer 11

Species = a group of similar organisms that can reproduce to produce fertile offspring.

Question 12

What is the point of classification and what is it based on ?

Answer 12

Classification systems aim to reflect evolutionary relationships and classification is traditionally based on studies of morphology and anatomy.

Question 13

Explain more accurate means of classification

Answer 13

1) SEQUENCES OF BASES IN DNA & 2)SEQUENCES OF BASES OF AMINO ACIDS IN PROTEINS
This gives an indication if organisms are closely related to each other. Organisms which share a more recent ancestor (are more closely related) have base sequences in DNA that are more similar than those that share only a distant ancestor.

Question 14

Why is the binomial system of naming species in Latin ?

Answer 14

Because when Linnaeus, also called “the Father of Taxonomy” - he invented this system of naming species that we use today, proposed this system, every scientific papers in Europe were in Latin. It was a ‘universal’ language.

Question 15

Name the 5 five groups of vertebrates.

Answer 15

1) FISH
2) AMPHIBIANS
3) REPTILES
4) BIRDS
5) MAMMALS

Question 16

Describe the characteristics of FISHES

Answer 16

1) skin covered in SCALES
2) breathe using GILLS (to get oxygen from the water)
3) live in WATER
4) have FINS for movement
5) have a LATERAL line to detect stimuli in the water
6) are COLD BLOODED

Question 17

Describe the characteristics of AMPHIBIANS

Answer 17

1) are COLD BLOODED
2) have a smooth, MOIST skin
3) young amphibians live in water, and so have GILLS
4) adult amphibians live on land, and so have LUNGS
5) they have an EXTERNAL FERTILISATION - lay eggs.

Question 18

Describe the characteristics of REPTILES

Answer 18

1) their skin is covered in SCALES
2) they breathe using LUNGS
3) they lay soft, SHELLED EGGS on land

Question 19

Describe the characteristics of BIRDS

Answer 19

1) are WARM BLOODED
2) breathe using LUNGS
3) their body is covered of FEATHERS
4) have a BEAK
5) lay hard, SHELLED EGGS on land
6) they have a INTERNAL FERTILISATION

Question 20

Describe the characteristics of MAMMALS

Answer 20

1) are WARM BLOODED
2) breathe using LUNGS
3) body covered with HAIR or FUR
4) produce MILK for their babies
5) young develops INSIDE THE MOTHER
6) have EXTERNAL EARS

Question 21

What is the difference between respiration and breathing ?

Answer 21

Respiration is the chemical reaction that breaks down nutrient molecules in living cells to release energy but breathe is the taking in of Oxygen and the releasing of Carbon dioxide (CO2)

Question 22

Give 2 external features that occur in mammals but NOT in other vertebrates

Answer 22

1) their skin is covered of hair or fur

2) they have EXTERNAL EARS

Question 23

Describe 2 external features that occur in all Arthropods

Answer 23

1) EXOSKELETON

2) SEGMENTED BODY

Question 24

Describe 2 external features that occur in birds but not in other vertebrates

Answer 24

1) birds have wings and a beak

2) birds have feathers

Question 25

Describe 2 external features that occur in insects but not in other Arthropods

Answer 25

1) insects have wings

2) insects have 3 body parts

Question 26

What are the common characteristics of living things ?

Answer 26

MRS GREN :

1) movement
2) respiration
3) sensitivity
4) growth
5) reproduction
6) excretion
7) nutrition

Question 27

Explain the common characteristic : MOVEMENT

Answer 27

Movement is the action of an organism (or part of an organism) causing a change in position or place. Energy is required for this characteristic and it is provided through respiration.

Question 27

List the features in the cells of all living organisms

Answer 27

1) cytoplasm
2) cell membrane
3) DNA (genetic material)
4) ribosomes (for protein synthesis)
5) enzymes (involved in respiration )

Question 28

What are the five kingdoms ?

Answer 28

1) ANIMAL
2) PLANT
3) FUNGUS
4) PROKARYOTE
5) PROTOCTIST

Question 29

What features must you have to be placed into the kingdom ANIMAL ?

Answer 29

1) you have to be a many-called organism that feeds on other organisms
2) you need to have a nervous system and usually move around
3) you do not have cell walls (cellulose) or chloroplasts and do not photosynthesise
4) you are heterotrophs because you need to consume animals or plants

Question 30

What features must you have to be placed into the kingdom PLANT ?

Answer 30

1) you are multi-cellular
2) you are autotrophs (you make your own food, feed yourself)
3) you have chlorophyll to trap sunlight energy for photosynthesis
4) you are producers
5) your cells have a nuclei and you have cell walls made of cellulose
6) plants can be flowering or non flowering

Question 31

What features must you have to be placed into the kingdom FUNGUS?

Answer 31

1) most fungi are made of a network (mycelium) of thread-like hyphae
2) you do not photosynthesise
3) you feed yourself by absorbing organic material - this can be parasitically (living matter) or saprophytically (dead matter)
4) you have a cell wall
5) you reproduce by spores

Question 32

What features must you have to be placed into the kingdom PROKARYOTE ?

Answer 32

1) you are single-celled organisms
2) your cell has no nucleus (prokaryote means no nucleus) -> different from any other forms of life
3) you can be rod shape, spiral shaped or round, with hairs (cilia) or tails (flagella) that helps you to move around
4) you reproduce by binary fission (splitting in 2)
5) you can be grown on agar (may take some time to adjust to their environment and make the right enzymes to live off the type of nutrient agar /substrate they are on

Question 33

What features must you have to be placed into the kingdom PROTOCTIST ?

Answer 33

1) unicellular

2) nucleus present

Question 34

Give the names of invertebrates

Answer 34

1) CRUSTACEAN
2) MYRIAPODS
3) ARACHNIDS
4) INSECTS

Question 36

Describe the characteristics of INSECTS

Answer 36

1) 3 body parts (body regions in segments)
2) 1 pair of antennae
3) 1or 2 pairs of wings
4) compound eyes
5) breathe using spiracles (holes leading to air passages through which they get their oxygen)

Question 37

Describe the characteristics of ARACHNIDS

Answer 37

1) 2 major body regions
2) head, thorax, abdomen fused into cephalothorax
3) 4 pairs of legs
4) no antennae
5) no wings

Question 38

Describe the characteristics of CRUSTACEANS

Answer 38

1) 2 pairs of antennae
2) 3 distinct body parts
3) 5 or more pairs of jointed legs

Question 39

Give the 2 groups of the plant kingdom

Answer 39

1) monocotyledons

2) dicotyledons

Question 40

Give the main features of monocotyledons

Answer 40

1) 1 cotyledon (to store food and to protect it)
2) long, narrow leaves and parallel veins
3) vascular bundles scattered
4) flower parts in multiples of 3

Question 41

Give the main features of dicotyledons

Answer 41

1) 2 cotyledons
2) broad leaves and network of veins
3) rings of vascular bundles
4) flower parts in multiples of five or four

Question 42

List the features of viruses

Answer 42

1) not considered to be living so are not part of a kingdom
2) they do not have the characteristics of living things
3) can only reproduce by entering living cells and using the resources inside the cell to construct new viruses
4) once the new ones are formed they burst the cell and escape ready to invade a new living cell

Question 43

Describe the characteristics of MYRIAPODS

Answer 43

1) segmented body
2) 1 or 2 pairs of legs per segment
3) 1 pair of antennae + simple eyes
4) no thorax, no abdomen
5) have a head