IGCSE Biology (O610) Workbook
Chapter 1
Characteristics and
classification of
living organisms
The stuff you need to know in this chapter:
1.1 CHARACTERISTICS LIVING THINGS
Core:
• Describe the characteristics of living organisms by defining the terms movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth,
reproduction, excretion, nutrition
Extended:
• Define the terms movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, excretion and nutrition – supplement
1.2 CONCEPT AND USE OF A CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
Core:
• State that organisms can be classified into groups by the features that they share
• Define species as a group of organisms that can reproduce to produce fertile offspring
• Define and describe the binomial system of naming species as an internationally agreed system in which the scientific
name of an organism in made up of two parts showing the genus and species
Extended:
• Explain that classification systems aim to reflect evolutionary relationships
• Explain that classification is traditionally based on studies of morphology and anatomy
• Explain that the sequence of bases in DNA and of amino acids in proteins are used as a more accurate means of
classification
• Explain that organisms which share a more recent ancestor (are more closely related) have base sequences of DNA
that are more similar than those that share only a distant ancestor
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IGCSE Biology (O610) Workbook
1.3 FEATURES OF ORGANISMS
Core:
• List the features in the cells of all living organisms, limited to cytoplasm, cell membrane and DNA as genetic material
• List the main features used to place animals and plants into the appropriate kingdoms
• List the main features used to place organisms into groups within the animal kingdom, limited to: vertebrates –
mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Arthropods – myriapods, insects, arachnids, crustaceans
Extended:
• List the features in the cells of all living organisms limited to ribosomes for protein synthesis and enzymes involved in
respiration
• List the main features used to place all organisms into one of the five kingdoms: animal, plant, fungus, prokaryote,
protoctist
• List the main features used to place organisms into groups within the plant kingdom, limited to ferns and flowering
plants (dicotyledons and monocotyledons)
• List the features of viruses, limited to protein coat and genetic material
1.4 DICHOTOMOUS KEYS
Core:
• Construct and use simple dichotomous keys based on easily identifiable features
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IGCSE Biology (O610) Workbook
1.1 CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING THINGS
1. Complete the table to list the seven processes that all living organisms carry out. For each process, give an
example of each for the two different organisms:
Life Process
Definition
Movement
Respiration
Sensitivity
Growth
Reproduction
Excretion
Nutrition
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IGCSE Biology (O610) Workbook
2. Give an example of how the organisms carry out these processes. Some of them have been done for you.
Life Process
Tiger
Movement
Apple tree
∑
Respiration
Uses hormones to sense
direction of gravity so
roots grow downwards.
Sensitivity
Growth
Reproduction
Uses sexual reproduction
to produce offspring
known as “cubs”.
Excretion
Nutrition
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IGCSE Biology (O610) Workbook
1.2 CONCEPT AND USE OF A CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM
1. Define the word “species”
2. List the five kingdoms of life
i) ____________________
ii) ____________________
iii) ____________________
iv) ____________________
v) ____________________
3. Look at the table below and complete the blanks. You should be able to figure out most of the answers
based on information that is already in the table
Rank
Domain
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Human
Eukarya
Animals
Chordata
Mammalia
Primates
Homonidae
Homo
sapien
Gray Wolf
Mammalia
Carnivora
Canidae
Canis
lupus
Coconut Palm
Tree
Eukarya
Cycadophyta
Cycadopsida
Arecales
Arecaceae
Cocos
nucifera
Black-backed
jackal
Common
chimpanzee
Mammalia
Carnivora
Canidae
mesomelas
Pan
troglodytes
4. Which two parts of the ranking system are used to give an organism’s binomial name?
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IGCSE Biology (O610) Workbook
5. Give the binomial names for each of the species mentioned in the ranking table above:
Human:
_______________________
Coconut palm:
_______________________
Common chimpanzee: _______________________
Grey wolf:
_______________________
Black-backed jackal:
_______________________
6(A). We classify organisms based which other organisms they are related to. For example, chimpanzees are
quite closely related to humans, and lizards are related to geckos. This is because they share the same
ancestors.
Look at the picture the rock hyrax (sometimes called a “dassie”). Put a circle around the organisms that you
think might be closely related to it, and put a box around the organisms that you think are least closely
related to it:
elephant
rabbit
lizard
rat
mouse
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IGCSE Biology (O610) Workbook
6(B). Of all the animals on that list, the dassie is most closely related to the:
______________ (Ask your teacher)
We can’t just group animals together based on how they look. Using the dassie as an example, explain why
using anatomy and morphology alone for classification can be a problem:
7. Explain why using DNA is a better way to classify organisms:
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IGCSE Biology (O610) Workbook
1.3 FEATURES OF ORGANISMS
1. Draw an animal cell and include the following labels:
nucleus, cell membrane, cytoplasm, rough endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes
2. Some organelles are only present in certain types of cell, but some are present in all cells. Tick the correct
boxes below:
Present in all Present only
Feature
cells
in some cells
Nucleus
☐
☐
DNA as genetic material
☐
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Cell membrane
☐
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Cell wall
☐
☐
Cytoplasm
☐
☐
Ribosomes
☐
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Chloroplasts
☐
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Enzymes
☐
☐
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IGCSE Biology (O610) Workbook
3. List the features that define each of the five kingdoms:
Animals >
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
< Plants
Fungi >
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
< Prokaryotes
Protoctists >
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
4. Use ticks and crosses to show the features present in different groups of vertebrate animals:
Group
Endothermic
Ectothermic
Have dry
scales
Have wet
scales
Have a
placenta
Have
feathers
Mammals
Fish
Birds
Amphibians
Reptiles
☐
☐
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☐
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☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
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Lay eggs
with hard
shells
☐
☐
☐
☐
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Eggs laid in
water
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
Have lungs
throughout
lifecycle
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
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IGCSE Biology (O610) Workbook
5. Complete the sentences below about arthropods:
Arthropods are a group of invertebrates, which means they have no
_______________. Arthropods all have _______________ legs
and a hard exo-_______________. There are four main groups of
them.
i) _______________ have bodies in segments, and each segmented
has jointed legs attached to it.
ii) _______________ have four pairs or jointed legs, and they breathe
through gills called _______________ _______________.
iii) _______________ have bodies divided into three sections:
_______________, _______________ and abdomen. They have
_______________ pairs of wings.
iv) _______________ breathe through gills and have more than four
pairs of jointed legs.
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IGCSE Biology (O610) Workbook
6. Four major groups of plants are:
•
•
•
•
Flowering plants
Ferns
Mosses
Conifers
Complete the table to summarise the features of flowering plants and ferns
Flowering
plants
Have leaves and chloroplasts
Have roots
Have stems
Have leaves
Produce flowers
Reproduce using spores
Make offspring by sexual reproduction
Make offspring by asexual reproduction
Ferns
☐
☐
☐
☐
☐
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7. Compare and contrast monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants
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IGCSE Biology (O610) Workbook
1.4 DICHOTOMOUS KEYS
1. Use the key to identify the four birds. Write the name of each type underneath the pictures.
1.
Has a speckled breast
Has un-speckled breast
“Babbler”
GO TO 2
2.
Has a short beak
Has a long beak
Has a straight beak
Has a curved beak
“Weaver”
GO TO 3
“Kingfisher”
“Hornbill”
3.
2. Construct a branching key diagram for the following stationary items:
pencil, pen, eraser, pencil sharpener, paper, correction fluid, post-it note
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IGCSE Biology (O610) Workbook
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IGCSE Biology (O610) Workbook
3. Construct a number key for the following organisms.
earthworm, snake, centipede, crab, lobster, spider
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