1.3 Features Of Organisms
State two features that distinguish animals from plants?
Animals do not have cell walls / plants have cellulose cell walls; animals are heterotrophic / plants are autotrophic (photosynthesise).
Identify the carbohydrate storage molecules found in animals and plants?
Animals store carbohydrate as glycogen; plants store carbohydrate as starch.
State two features of mammals that distinguish them from other vertebrates?
Body covered in hair/fur; females produce milk to feed young.
Describe how amphibians differ from reptiles in terms of skin and reproduction?
Amphibians have moist, permeable skin / reptiles have dry scales; amphibians lay eggs in water without shells / reptiles lay eggs on land with leathery shells.
Explain why a whale is classified as a mammal and not a fish?
Whales have hair (not scales); whales breathe using lungs (not gills); whales produce milk to feed their young.
State the number of legs found in insects and arachnids?
Insects have six legs / three pairs; arachnids have eight legs / four pairs.
Describe two features you would use to identify an organism as a crustacean?
More than eight legs; two pairs of antennae.
Explain how you would distinguish a myriapod from an insect?
Myriapods have many legs (more than 20) / insects have only six legs; myriapods have a segmented body without distinct thorax and abdomen / insects have three distinct body sections (head, thorax, abdomen).
An organism has dry scales, breathes with lungs, and lays eggs with leathery shells. Identify the vertebrate group it belongs to?
Reptile.
An organism has an exoskeleton, six legs, and wings. Identify the arthropod group it belongs to?
Insect.
Describe the steps you would take to classify an unknown organism as a mammal?
Check for multicellularity and heterotrophic nutrition to confirm it is an animal; check for a backbone to confirm it is a vertebrate; check for hair/fur and milk production to classify as a mammal.
🚀 State two features of the prokaryote kingdom?
Cells have no true nucleus / genetic material is not enclosed in a nuclear membrane; cells are microscopic / single-celled / unicellular.
🚀 Distinguish between the nutrition of fungi and plants?
Fungi are saprotrophic / they digest and absorb nutrients from dead organic matter; plants are autotrophic / they photosynthesise to make their own food.
🚀 Explain why protoctists are placed in a separate kingdom rather than with animals or plants?
Protoctists are eukaryotic organisms that do not fit the criteria for animals, plants, or fungi; they show varied features including varied nutrition and cell wall presence.
🚀 State two features of ferns that distinguish them from flowering plants?
Ferns reproduce by spores (not seeds); ferns do not produce flowers.
🚀 Compare the features of dicotyledons and monocotyledons?
Dicotyledons have two cotyledons / monocotyledons have one cotyledon; dicotyledons have network/branching leaf veins / monocotyledons have parallel leaf veins; dicotyledon flower parts are in multiples of 4 or 5 / monocotyledon flower parts are in multiples of 3.
🚀 An organism is eukaryotic, has cellulose cell walls, photosynthesises, and produces spores. Identify its kingdom and plant group?
Plant kingdom; fern.
🚀 Describe how you would classify a flowering plant as a dicotyledon?
Check for two cotyledons in the seed; check for network/branching venation in the leaves / flower parts in multiples of 4 or 5.
🚀 State the two main structural features of a virus?
A protein coat; genetic material (DNA or RNA).
🚀 Explain why viruses are not placed into any of the five kingdoms?
Viruses do not have a cellular structure / they are not made of cells; they cannot carry out metabolic processes / life processes independently / they can only reproduce inside a host cell.