Plant and Animal Test Study Guide
PLANTS belong to the kingdom Plantae. Plants are eukaryotic, multicellular and autotrophic. Plant cells have cell walls
for strength and structure. Plants also have a cuticle which is a waxy covering to help the plant keep from drying out.
There are 4 types of plants:
Nonvascular: do not have vascular tissue so they only absorb water through the processes of osmosis and
diffusion. ex: mosses and liverworts.
Vascular, seedless: have vascular tissue (xylem and phloem). These types of plants can move water and
nutrients through the plant using their vascular tissue and/or the processes of osmosis and diffusion.
ex: ferns, horsetails and club mosses
Gymnosperms: like pine trees, have vascular tissue (xylem and phloem) to transport food and water through
the plant. Gymnosperms can also use the processes of osmosis and diffusion to move food and water.
They have seeds but no flowers. They reproduce using cones and seeds. Pollen is carried from male cone to
female cone by the wind. ex: pine trees
Angiosperms: have vascular tissue, seeds and flowers. They use their vascular tissue (xylem and phloem) as
well as osmosis and diffusion to transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Ex: daffodils, apple
trees, tulips, grass.
Plant Structures
The individual parts of the plant are adaptations that help plants to live on land.
Petals: attract pollinators
Cuticle: protects the plant from drying out
Stomata: Small openings in the leaves of plants that allow for gas exchange (transpiration).
Roots: absorb water and minerals from ground, anchor plant in the ground, and stores excess food.
Flower parts: includes reproductive structures.
Stamen: male part of the plant that holds the pollen
Pistil: female part of the plant that is fertilized by the pollen
Bees carry pollen from the stamen to the pistill where the pollen travels down to the ovules
and fertilize them to make seeds. The ovary then turns into a fruit.
ANIMALS belong to the kingdom Animalia. Animals are eukaryotic, multicellular and heterotrophic.
Animals without a backbone are invertebrates. Animals with a backbone are vertebrates. Animals are consumers.
Mainly animals use sexual reproduction to have offspring.
Body Symmetry:
The quality of being made up of exactly similar body parts facing each other or around an axis.
Major Animal Phla:
Phlum
Physical characteristics
Distinguishing
characteristics
Asymmetrical, sessile (stay Tiny pores used for filter
put in one place)
feeding
Example(s)
no skeleton, no backbone
radial symmetry
stinging cells
(nematocysts)
nerve net, medusa and
polyp body shape
jellyfish, hydra
no skeleton, no backbone
soft body, bilateral
symmetry
Muscular foot,
mantle (hard shell or
beak),
viseral mass (soft body)
snails, clams,
octopus, slugs
Annelids
no skeleton, no backbone
bilateral symmetry
segmented body
earthworms, bristle
worms
leeches
Echinoderms
endoskeleton, no
backbone
radial symmetry,
spiny skin, endoskeleton,
water vascular system
sea stars, sea
urchins, sand
dollars, sea
cucumbers
Arthropods
exoskeleton, no backbone, jointed limbs, segmented
well-developed nervous
body, exoskeleton,
system, bilateral
compound eyes
symmetry
Insects, spiders,
crabs, centipedes,
crustaceans
Chordates
Most have have
backbone, endoskeleton,
very complex nervous
system, bilateral
symmetry
fish, mammals,
reptiles, birds,
humans
Porifera
Sea sponge
Cnidarians
Medusa
Mollusks
Sea sponge
Polyp
backbone
hollow nerve cord
Animal Behavior and Communication:
Animals exhibit either innate or learned behaviors.
Innate behaviors are behaviors that are coded in the DNA. Yawning, babies crying, breathing are all examples of innate
behaviors.
Learned behaviors are learned like language, (speaking) playing a sport, or reading.
Animals can exhibit seasonal behaviors.
Hibernation is when animals go into a long period of inactivity during the winter. Bears hibernate
Estivation is when animals hibernate in the summer. Desert squirrels estivate.
Migration is when animals travel in response to seasons. For example, geese migrate south for the winter.
Social Behaviors are how animals interact with members of the same species. For example, birds might have specific
songs and courtship dances.
Animals can communicate with each other in different ways.
Animals can use their vocal cords: make noises, talk
Animals can use pheromones: own scent is used to attract mates, mark territory, or keep prey away
Animals can use touch as a way of communicating
Animals can use body language as a way of communicating