Download Classifying Living Things vocab and notes

Science Vocabulary Terms: Classifying Living Things/Adaptations
*The vocabulary quiz on these terms will be Thursday, September 8, 2016.*
1.
Classification: the grouping of things by using a set of rules
2. Kingdom: the largest group into which living things can be classified
3. Species: the smallest grouping used in classification
4. Vertebrate: animals with a backbone
5. Invertebrate: animals without a backbone
6. Vascular plant: plants that have tubes
7. Nonvascular plant: plants that do not have tubes
8. Adaptation: any characteristic that helps an organism survive in its
environment
9. Camouflage: any coloring, shape, or pattern that allows an organism to blend
in with its environment
10. Mimicry: an adaptation in which an animal resembles an unpleasant animal
11. Extinct: a species that no longer exists on Earth
12. Fossil: any remains, traces, or imprints of organisms that lived long ago
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Essential Questions:
How are living things similar and different?
How do adaptations help organisms survive?
Classifying Living Things/Adaptations notes
Classification:
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Living things are grouped together by similar features. Grouping things by using a set of rules is
known as classification.
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Kingdoms are divided into even smaller groups since scientists have studied organisms to identify
similarities and differences within kingdoms. Organisms are given a scientific name so that
scientists anywhere in the world can identify the organism. For example, scientists refer to animals
using the labels of the two smallest groups, genus and species. The scientific name for humans is
Homo sapiens. Notice the way in which the genus and species is written. The genus is always
capitalized, and the two terms are written in italics.
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The complete taxonomy, or science of classifying things, of an organism is as follows, from largest
to smallest: 1) Kingdom, 2) Phylum, 3) Class, 4) Order, 5) Family, 6) Genus, 7) Species
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All living things can be classified, or grouped, into six kingdoms. A kingdom is the largest group
into which living things can be classified. The six kingdoms are:
1) Animal: multi-cellular; feed on living or once-living things
Examples: humans, dogs, birds, frogs, fish, spiders
2) Plant: multi-cellular; make their own food
Examples: trees, flowers, grasses, ferns, mosses
3) Fungi: most are multi-cellular; they absorb food from other living or once-living things
Examples: mushrooms, mold, yeast (unicellular)
4) Protist: most are multi-cellular; make their own food OR feed on living or once-living things
Examples: algae, amoeba (unicellular), paramecium (unicellular)
5) Bacteria: unicellular; no cell nucleus; some make their own food and some feed on living/onceliving things
Examples: bacteria
6) Archaea: unicellular; can be helpful to other organisms; live in harsh environments
Examples: microbes
Animal Classification:
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The animal kingdom is divided into two large groups: vertebrates and invertebrates. All animals are
multicellular and feed on living or once-living things.
Vertebrates are animals that have backbones. This group is further divided into smaller groups:
1) Mammals: warm-blooded; have hair/fur and produce milk for young.
Examples: humans, dogs, cats, whales, kangaroos
2) Reptiles: cold-blooded; have thick, dry, scaly skin; live on land.
Examples: lizards, snakes, turtles, alligators
3) Amphibians: cold-blooded; have moist skin and no scales; live in water and on land.
Examples: frogs, toads, salamanders
4) Fish: cold-blooded; have gills; live entire lives in water.
Examples: sharks, eels, bass, tuna
5) Birds: warm-blooded; hollow bones; feathers.
Examples: owls, robins, parrots, penguins
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Invertebrates are animals that do not have backbones. This group accounts for about 97% of
the animal kingdom. Examples include: arthropods like insects, spiders, and crabs; mollusks like
snails, oysters, and squid; echinoderms like sea stars and sea urchins; cnidarians like jellyfish,
corals, and sea anemones; worms; and sponges.
Plant Classification:
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All plants are members of the plant kingdom. They are multi-cellular and their cells have nuclei.
Plants differ from animals because they must make their own food. The plant kingdom is
divided into two groups: vascular and nonvascular.
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Vascular plants have tubes that carry nutrients around the plant. Tubes are found in the
roots, stems, and leaves. Water and nutrients enter through the roots. The roots carry the
water and nutrients to the stems. The tubes in the stems carry the water and nutrients into
the leaves. Examples include ferns, trees, and flowering plants.
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Nonvascular plants do not have tubes to carry nutrients. These plants do not have roots,
stems, or leaves. Water must soak into the plant and pass from cell to cell. Food made by the
plant must also pass from cell to cell. These plants live in damp places and do not grow to be
large or tall. Examples include mosses and liverworts.
Adaptations:
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An adaptation is any characteristic that helps an organism survive in its environment.
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Animal adaptations can be either structural, like long legs or webbed feet, or behavioral, like
hunting in packs or migrating to find food.
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Camouflage is an adaptation in which an animal has a color, shape, or pattern that allows
it to blend in with its environment.
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Mimicry is another animal adaptation in which an animal looks like another animal that is
not pleasant to predators.
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Plant adaptations can include having scented flowers to attract insects that are pollinators,
being able to store water, having shallow roots that quickly soak up rain water, or having
needles to provide protection from plant-eating animals.
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If an organism cannot adapt to changes in its environment, it may become extinct. An extinct
organism no longer exists on Earth.
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When an organism becomes extinct, sometimes its remains are left behind in the form of
fossils. Fossils are any remains, traces, or imprints of organisms that lived long ago.
Scientists use fossils to learn about how environments and organisms have changed over time.