WJEC Biology
Module 1
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Watch the first 25 minutes of David
Attenborough’s “Life”
 Challenges of life
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understand that living organisms show
a range of sizes, features and
complexity.
Appreciate the broad descriptive
grouping into
 plants – non-flowering and flowering;
 animals - invertebrates and vertebrates;
 microorganisms – fungi, bacteria, algae.

Biology is the study of living organisms

How do we decide if something is
living or non living?
Aliens land on Earth and watch things carefully
to tell whether they are alive or not.
Would an alien think this car is alive?
Why aren’t fluffy toys alive?
Fluffy toys often look like real
animals
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There are over 30 million different kinds
of living organisms on the planet.
These living organisms show a range of
 Sizes
▪ Microscopic bacteria  blue whale
 Features
 Complexity
▪ Single celled organisms  Mammals

All living organisms carry out life
processes

If something is alive it will carry out all
of the seven life processes.
 Movement
 Respiration
 Sensitivity
 Growth
 Reproduction
 Excretion
 Nutrition

M is for movement
 Animals move to find food, shelter or a
mate.
 Plants do not move in the same way as
animals but move towards sunlight.

R is for reproduction
 Animals lay eggs or have babies.
 Seeds from plants grow into new plants.

S is for sensitivity.
 Animals find their way using their sense
organs such as the eyes or skin.
 Plants don’t have sense organs but do
respond to gravity and light.

G is for growth
 Growth is an increase in size
 Animals stop growing when they reach
adult size.
 Plants grow throughout their lives.

R is for respiration
 Respiration is the release of energy from
food.
 This usually needs oxygen.

E is for excretion
 All living things produce waste.
 The removal of this waste is called
excretion.
 Animals excrete through their lungs,
kidneys and skin.
 Plants shed their leaves in autumn

N is for nutrition
 All living things need food for energy,
growth and repair.
 Animals have to find their own food and
eat plants and other animals.
 Plants make their own food by the process
of photosynthesis.
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The similarities and differences that
exist between organisms allow us to
put them into groups
Broad groups include
 Animals
▪ Vertebrates and invertebrates
 Plants
▪ Flowering plants and non flowering plants
 Microorganisms
▪ Bacteria, fungi and algae
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

know that organisms which have
similar features and characteristics
can be classified together in a logical
way.
Understand the need for a scientific
system for identification and the need
for scientific as opposed to 'common'
names.
Know that international committees
decide on scientific names.

In groups move around the classroom
looking at the photographs
 Identify the organisms
 Classify them correctly under the correct
headings
 There will be a reward for the highest
scoring group sheet.
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Variation = differences between
organisms
This variety allows Biologist’s to classify
organisms into groups
Each of these groups contain
organisms which have certain features
in common

The current classification system splits
all organisms into 5 Kingdoms

Bacteria
 Very small and single-celled, no nucleus

Protoctists
 Single celled, with a nucleus

Fungi
 Cell walls contain chitin, with a nucleus

Plants
 Multicellular organisms
 Can make food through photosynthesis

Animals
 Multicellular
 Have to obtain food

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Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
species

The animal kingdom is divided into
two groups
Vertebrates
▪
▪
Animals with a backbone
Invertebrates
▪
▪
Animals without a backbone

Phylum Chordata – the vertebrates
 Split into five classes
▪ Mammals
▪ Fish
▪ Birds
▪ Reptiles
▪ Amphibians
 Each class has distinctive features

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Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Animal
Vertebrate
Mammals
Carnivore
Felicidae
Panthera
Leo
LION
Animal
Vertebrate
Mammals
Carnivore
Felicidae
Panthera
tigris
TIGER

Choose an animal and a plant
 Write out how that organism is classified
 E.g. Lion
▪ Kingdom Animal
▪ Phylum
Vertebrate
▪ Class
Mammals
▪ Order
Carnivore
▪ Family
Felicidae
▪ Genus
Panthera
▪ Species
Leo

The basic unit of classification is the
species.
 A species is a group of organisms that can
breed together to produce fertile
offspring.

Naming Species
 In the Binomial system organisms are identified by
two names
▪
▪
▪
▪
Genus and species
Genus always has a capital letter
Always written in italics or underlined
It is in Latin
▪ This allows it to be understood all over the world as the
scientific name is universal
 Examples
▪ Canis lupus – the wolf
▪ Panthera leo – the lion


Know that recently the 3 Domain
classification has been preferred to
the 5 Kingdom classification.
Know that morphological features or
DNA analysis can be used and as
more information becomes available
changes are made to the
classification.
5 Kingdoms
3 Domains
Plant
Animal
Fungi
Eukarya
Protoctists
Prokaryota
(Monera)
Archaea
Bacteria

There are two types of organism
 Eukaryotes – cells contain a nucleus
 Prokaryotes – cells do not contain a
nucleus

In the 5 Kingdom classification
 Eukaryotes are split into four Kingdoms –
plants, animals, fungi and protoctists
 Prokaryotes are all grouped together into
one Kingdom

Recent DNA evidence suggests that the
prokaryotes can be split into two distinct
groups
 Archaea which are more closely linked with the
Eukarya
 Bacteria – have a more ancient ancestor


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To be able to identify special adaptive
features of animals
To appreciate how adaptations allow
an animal to survive in hostile
environments
To recognise the adaptations of plants
for different environments

Living things adapt to their environment.
 Watch the video clip, and then try to fill in the
table explaining how the creature is adapted to
it’s environment.
Anima
l
Adaptatio
n
How this helps them
survive

Look at the animals on the worksheet,
for each one try to give where it lives
and an example of how it is adapted
for survival in its environment.

Look at the animals on the worksheet,
for each one try to give where it lives
and an example of how it is adapted
for survival in its environment.

You need to be able to:
 Explain how animals are adapted for survival in
arctic and desert environments in terms of:
▪
▪
▪
▪
Body size and surface area
Thickness of insulating coat
Amount of body fat
Camouflage
 Explain how plants are adapted to survive in arid
conditions
 Suggest how organisms are adapted to the
conditions in which they live.

Surviving in different environments.
 Read all information carefully
 Answer questions 3 - 9
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Hibernation – animals build up a fat
layer and sleep through the worst of
the winter months.
Migration – animals move off to
warmer climes.
Insulation – many animals grow thicker
fur.
Leaf shedding
Food storing
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An adaptation is a feature that allows
an organism to survive in the
environment in which it lives.
Examples
 Polar bears and Arctic foxes are adapted
to survive in the Arctic
 A camel and the Fennec fox are adapted
to live in hot arid (desert) conditions
Small head
and ears
White fur
Thick layer
of fat
Compact
body shape
Thick layer
of fur
Adaptation
Survival Advantage
A small head and
ears
Smaller surface area to reduce heat loss
Compact body
shape
Smaller surface area to volume ratio to reduce
heat loss
Thick layer of fur
Traps air, which is a good insulator
Thick layer of fat
Insulates against heat loss
Acts as a food reserve during hibernation
White fur
Camouflage
Reduce heat radiated from the body
For each of the adaptations labelled on the
polar bear
 Explain how each adaptation helps the
animal survive in the conditions where it
lives

Adaptation
polar bear
White fur
Survival Advantage
Radiates less heat
energy – prevent
heat loss
Thin hair on
top of body
Fatty hump
Nostrils which
can close
Two rows of
eyelashes
Long legs
and neck
No hair on
underside
of body
Sandy
colouring
Little body fat
A camel’s hump is a
fat store. It can
break down fat to
release water.
A camel can
drink large
amounts of
water.
Its mouth is
tough so that
it can eat
thorny plants
like cacti.
Coarse wool on
top of its body
protects the
camel from the
sun.
Short hair
underneath the camel
lets heat escape.
Big flat feet
stop it
sinking into
the sand.
For each of the adaptations labelled on the
camel
 Explain how each adaptation helps the
animal survive in the conditions where it
lives

Adaptation
Camel
Survival Advantage
Adaptation
Survival Advantage
Fatty hump
Metabolic source of water
Nostrils which can close
Close for protection during sandstorms
Long legs and neck
Increase surface area for heat loss
Thin hair on top of body
Allow heat loss
Sandy colouring
Camouflage from predators
Two rows of eyelashes
Prevent sand from entering the eyes
No hair on underside of body
Makes heat loss easier
Little body fat
Increase heat loss from skin capillaries
Fleshy green
leaves
Short stem
Waxy, shiny
outer covering
to the leaves
Long roots

Leaves reduced to spines – to reduce water
loss through stoma

Swollen stem
stores water

Wide spread root
systems to increase
surface area for absorption.

For each of the adaptations labelled on the
house leek
 Explain how each adaptation helps plant survive
conditions on a rocky outcrop.
Adaptation
Survival Advantage
Adaptation
Survival advantage
ARCTIC FOX
FENNEC FOX

To draw labelled diagrams of a plant
or animal, describing the adaptation
and detailing the survival advantage
of each adaptation.

Environmental extremes for small plants and
animals on the Antarctic Peninsula
 Write out a list of environmental conditions you
think that an organism living on the Antarctic
peninsula

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Extreme cold in the winter
Fairly mild summers (up to 45 °F), with rock and
moss surface temperatures of up to 70 °F
Very short growing season each year for the plants
that provide food for small organisms
Intense ultraviolet light due to the hole in the ozone
layer
High winds on small islands
Extreme dryness
Exposure to high acidity, due to immersion in
penguin guano (waste) during summer breeding
season
Possible immersion in both salt and freshwater due
to weather and tides in the summer

Draw a labelled diagram of an animal
or plant adapted to survive on the
Antarctic peninsula.
 This organism can be real or fictitious

To know that the distribution and
number of organisms in a habitat can
be explained in terms of adaptation,
competition, predation and pollution

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A population is a group of individuals
of the same species living in a
particular habitat at the same time.
The number of individuals present in
the population will depend on how
they can interact with two types of
factor.

Biotic (living)
 food, disease, predation, mates and
competition

Abiotic (non living)
 water, oxygen, carbon dioxide,
temperature and light intensity

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Populations need things called
resources to grow.
Organisms that are better suited
(adapted) to compete are more likely
to survive and have offspring

Competition between members of the
same species
▪ Organisms produce more offspring than can
survive
▪ This leads to competition
▪ If there is plenty of food the population is likely
to increase, if food is depleted it is likely that
population size will decrease
VS
Gannets are sea
birds that catch fish
by diving head first
into the water.
 They live and breed
on remote cliffs

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Gannets compete for space on the
rocks
 The nests are distributed “pecking
distance” apart

Plenty of fish
 more young gannets are raised
 Increase competition for nesting sites in
future years
VS

Competition between members of
different species
 Several species might rely on the same
food source or space
▪ E.g. primroses flower early in the year to avoid
competition for light. They also produce leaves,
flowers and seeds before the tree leaves open
and put them into shade
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Predation will limit the prey population.
Disease can spread quickly through
large populations.
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Animals that kill and eat other animals
are called predators. The animals that
they eat are called prey.
Predators are usually bigger and fewer
in number than their prey.
 List five things that make a good predator:
 List five ways prey have adapted escape
from predators:
1.
2.
3.
The prey has plenty of food. It
breeds and increases in number.
The increase in prey means that
there is more food for the predator.
So the predator breeds and
increases in number.
There are now lots of predators so
more prey will be eaten. The
number of prey goes down.
4.
5.
There are now less prey for the predator to
feed on. Food will be scarce and many
predators starve.
With fewer predators, more prey survive to
breed. The prey numbers increase
The cycle continues…
WJEC Module 1
Adaptation and Competition

Living organisms can be used as
indicators of pollution
 The presence or absence of particular
organisms can indicate the level of
pollution in an area.
 These are called Indicator Species

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Freshwater invertebrates can be used
as indicators of freshwater pollution
Lichens can be used as indicators of
air pollution due to their sensitivity to
sulfur dioxide.

Indicator Species
 Animals found in
water with low levels
of oxygen
▪ Sludge worm
▪ Rat-tailed maggot
▪ Blood worm
 Animals found in
water with high levels
of oxygen
▪ Mayfly nymph
▪ Stonefly nymph
▪ shrimp

What could cause the oxygen
concentration in a river to decrease?

Yup, that’s right SEWAGE or organic
pollution
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Organic waste (sewage) provides
food for bacteria, which allows them
to grow and reproduce
Bacteria use up the oxygen in the
water when they respire
There is less oxygen for other organisms
such as fish and insects.
Animals such as fish, stonefly nymphs
and shrimps decrease in number.
As the concentration of sewage pollution
rises, the population of bacteria rises.
 This is because the bacteria feed off the
sewage which provides raw materials and
energy for growth and reproduction.
 At the same time the concentration of
oxygen falls.
 This is because the bacteria use up the
oxygen in respiration as they break down
the organic waste in the sewage.
 Animals such as fish and stonefly nymphs
decrease in number.
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What effect does domestic sewage have on the
number of bacteria in a river?
How do the bacteria numbers affect the level of
dissolved oxygen in the water?
How does the reduction in oxygen level affect the
numbers of fish and invertebrate numbers in the
river?
What name is given to an organism whose presence
or absence gives information about the level of
pollution in a river?
Name two organisms that can live in water where
the oxygen level is low.
Name two organisms that can only live in water that
is unpolluted.
 To
explain how lichens can be
used to indicate air pollution
 To analyse data on air pollution
and draw conclusions
 The
presence or absence of
particular organisms can
indicate the level of pollution in
an area.
 These are called Indicator
Species

Lichens
 Different types of lichen have different sensitivities
to sulfur dioxide gas.
 3 main types – crusty, leafy and shrubby
Indicator species
present
Crusty lichens
only
Crusty and leafy
Shrubby
Appearance of
lichen
SO2
concentration
High
Medium
low

Lichens as indicators of Air Pollution

Carrying out a pollution survey
 Look
at the air pollution map, and
explain the distribution of the
different types of lichen.