Biodiversity & Classification Mini-Unit
Unit Outline & Study Sheet
To prepare for the quiz on this topic: review your homework, study your class notes and
worksheets, and know the information on this study sheet.
1. Biologists use classification to organize living things into groups so that they are
easy to study.
2. Carolus Linnaeus devised a system of naming organisms called binomial
nomenclature, which gives every living thing a two word scientific name.
3. The seven divisions of the Linnaean System of Classification are:
 Kingdom
 Phylum
 Class
 Order
 Family
 Genus
 Species
3. The scientific name of an organism is made up of its genus and species name. The
genus name is always capitalized. The species name is not capitalized. Ursus
maritimus is the scientific name of the polar bear.
4. A more modern classification system used by many scientists is called cladistics,
which uses branching trees (cladograms) to show the evolutionary relationships
between organisms.
5. All organisms are grouped into six kingdoms: eubacteria, archaebacteria, protists,
fungi, plants, and animals.
6. The characteristics of living things include the following. They are made of cells
and are composed of specific chemicals. Living things use energy, grow and
develop, respond to their environment, carry on complex chemical activities, and
reproduce.
7. The needs of living things include: a source of energy, water, space to live, a stable
internal environment.
8. Some of the characteristics used to classify organisms into kingdoms are:
 Cell structure (nucleus vs. no nucleus)
 Number of cells (single vs. more than one)
 How they obtain food (autotroph vs. heterotroph)
9. Autotrophs are organisms that can make their own food through the process of
photosynthesis*. Plants, some bacteria, and some protists are autotrophs. (*Some
organisms use chemicals instead of light to initiate the process of food making. This
process is called chemosynthesis.
10. Heterotrophs cannot make their own food. They have to get their food. Animals and
fungi are heterotrophs.
11. Some organisms have their genetic material enclosed in a nucleus. These organisms
are called eukaryotes.
12. Some organisms do not have nuclei. Their genetic material floats freely in their
cytoplasm. These organisms are called prokaryotes.
13. Unicellular organisms consist of one independent cell, which can carry on all life’s
activities. A multicellular organism is made up of more than one cell.
14. Biodiversity is the amazing variety of living things on Earth.
15. Each organism has a special place or role to play in its environment. An organism’s
role in its environment is called its niche.
16. A community is an integrated group of species that live in a specific area. These
organisms influence each other’s distribution, abundance, and evolution.
17. An ecosystem is the living members of a particular habitat interacting with the nonliving physical environment, such as the soil, rocks, water, heat, and light.
18. Many organisms are in danger of becoming extinct. The main reasons why organisms
become extinct are:
 Habitat destruction
 Invasive species
 Pollution
 Poaching
 Over-harvesting, over-fishing, over-population
19. Scientists who work at zoos and other conservation organizations are hard at work
trying to maintain Earth’s biodiversity. The goals of today’s zoo include education of
the public and programs to help save endangered organisms. Captive breeding helps
maintain populations of endangered animals by allowing them to reproduce within
the safety of a zoo. Captive-bred animals are later released into their natural
environments.