Form 2 Chapter 3: BIODIVERSITY

3.1 Variety of Living Things

and Their Classification
Biodiversity is the variety of different
types of organisms found in the Earth.
These organisms (living things) can
be either animals, plants or even
microorganisms such as bacteria.
The differences that exist between the

Living things are classified based on their common characteristics. The living things
within the same class have similar features or characteristics.

Organisms
Animals

Plants

same species of living things are called

variations.
Scientists classify millions of
organisms on Earth so that they can
Confirm when a new species has

Classification of Animals
Classification of animal kingdom

been identified
Identity the relationships between
organisms
Recognise similarities and
differences between organisms
Communicate with one another
easily about the organisms on
Earth.

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Animals

Mammal
s

Vertebrates

Invertebrates

(with backbones)

(without backbones)

Reptiles

Fish

Birds

Amphibians

Vertebrates
Vertebrates are animals with backbones. They have internal skeletons made of bone and cartilage.
Warm-blooded vertebrates maintain their body temperatures at a constant level. Cold-blooded vertebrates have body temperatures that
change according to the temperature of their surroundings.
Internal fertilisation is where eggs are fertilised internally and young develop inside the females body. External fertilisation is where eggs
are fertilised and the young develop outside the females body.
Class of
vertebrates
Habitat
Type of blood
Characteristic
of body

Fish
Water
Cold-blooded
- Skin with hard,
slimy scales for
protection

Amphibians
Water and land
Cold-blooded
Soft, moist, exposed
skin without scales

Reptiles
Water and land
Cold-blooded
Skin with dry and
scales to prevent loss
of water

Birds
Land
Warm-blooded
- Have feathers
- Have beaks,
clawed feet and

Mammals
Land
Warm-blooded
- Skin with fur or hair
- Have external ears
- Have sweat glands

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- Have fins and tails

to swim in water
Breathing
organ

Gills

Method of
reproduction

- Lay eggs (sharks

give birth to young)
- Mostly eggs
without shells, laid in
water
External fertilisation

Type of
fertilisation
Examples of
animals

Eel, Fish, Stingray,

Seahorse

wings, and most

of them can fly
- Gills (tadpole stage)
- Lungs & moist skin
(adult stage)
- Lay eggs
- Jelly-covered eggs
without shells, usually
laid in water

Lungs

Lungs

External fertilisation

- Lay eggs
- Eggs with leathery
shells, usually laid on
land (rattle snakes
give birth to young)
Internal fertilisation

Toad, Frog, Newt,

Salamander

Snake, Crocodile,
Turtle, Lizard

- Lay eggs
- Eggs with hard
shells, laid on
land, normally in
the nest
Internal
fertilisation
Bird, Chicken,
Duck, Penguin

- Females have mammary

(milk) glands to produce
milk for the young
Lungs

Give birth to young

Internal fertilisation
Cat, Rabbit, Goat, Whale,
Bat, Porcupine

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Unusual characteristics of some mammals

Bats have wings and fly like a bird
Whales and dolphin live in water like fish
Pangolin have dry scales on their bodies like reptiles
Platypus lay eggs and have beaks like ducks (bird)
Porcupines have spines covering their bodies for
protection

The classification of vertebrates are based on their common

characteristics such as:
Habitat (water or land)
Body temperature (warm-blooded or cold-blooded)
Body covering (hair, fur, scales or feathers)
Breathing organs (gills, lungs or skin)
Method of reproduction (laying eggs or giving birth)
Types of fertilisation (internal or external fertilisation)

Example 1

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Vertebrates
Warm-blooded

Have feathers

Birds

Cold-blooded

Do not have feathers

Mammals

Have gills when fully grown

Fish

Have lungs when fully grown

Moist skin with no scales

Scaly skin

Amphibians
(frog)

Reptiles
(crocodile)

Example 2

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Form 2 Chapter 3: BIODIVERSITY

Vertebrates

With feathers

Birds

Without feathers

With hair or fur

Mammals

Without hair or fur

With fins

Fish

Without fins

With scales

Without scales

Reptiles

Amphibians

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Invertebrates
Invertebrates are animals without backbones.
Over 90% of the species in the animal kingdom are invertebrates.
Most of the invertebrates are small and have simple body structures
Some invertebrates have hard external skeleton for protection such as crab and beetle.
Some invertebrates with soft bodies use their body fluids for support like earth worms and leeches.

Invertebrates can also be classified based on their common characteristics, such as:
Body type (worm-like or not worm-like)
Outer body coverings (shells, exposed skin or hard skin)
Number of legs ( three, four or more pairs of legs)
Body segmentation ( segmented or not segmented)

Invertebrates

With jointed legs

3 pairs of legs
Examples: Ant, bee,
beetle, butterfly

4 pairs of legs
Examples: Spider,
scorpion, mites

Without jointed legs

More than 4 pairs of legs

Examples: Millipide,
centipide, crab, prawn

Segmented body
Examples:
Earthworm,
flatworm, leeches

Non-segmented body
Examples: Snail, octupus,
shelfish, jellyfish

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System of classification of plants

Plants can be classified into two main groups: flowering plants and non-flowering plants
Flowering plant produces flowers, seeds and fruits. The flowers normally become fruits. Flowering plant produces fruits for reproduction.
Flowering plants consists of four main parts: roots, stem, leaves and flowers.
Flowering plants are divided into dicotyledons and monocotyledons.

Plants
Flowering plants

Non-flowering plants

(produce flowers, fruits or seeds)

Monocotyledons

(do not produce flowers)

Have true roots,

stems and leaves

Dicotyledons

(one seed leaf)

(two seed leaves)

Grass, paddy, sugar

cane, banana

Hibiscus, balsam plant,

rubber tree, rose shrub

Conifers

(have cones)

Do not have true roots,

stems and leaves

Ferns

(have spores)

Mosses

Fibrous roots

Scattered vascular
bundle (soft)

Parallel veins

Flower petals in
multiples of three

One cotyledon

Seed

Root

Stem

Leaf

Flower

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Tap roots

Two cotyledon

Vascular bundle
arranged in a circle
(woody)

Network veins

Flower petals in
multiples of four or
five

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 Non-flowering plants do not produce flowers, fruits and seeds.

These plants reproduce by spores, cones or binary fission
Non-flowering plants are divided into algae, mosses, ferns and conifers
Nonflowering
plants
Habitat

Algae

In water or damp
places on land

Chlorophy
ll
Reproduct
ion

Present

Type of
stem, leaf
and root
Example

Does not have real

stem, leaf and root

Binary fission

Spirogyra,
chlamydomonas,
seaweed

Mosses

Ferns

Conifers

In damp places, such as tree

stumps, stones or moist
drains
Present

In moist and shady

places, such as forest
floors
Present

On land

Spores, found in capsules

that are held up by thin
stalks
Has simple stems, tiny
leaves but no real roots

Spores, found in
clusters on the
underside of leaves
Has stem, leaf and
root

Seeds in cones

Hair-cap moss, club moss,

white moss, liverwort

Birds nest fern, rabbit

foot fern, staghorn fern

Present

Has woody stem,

needle-like leaves and
true roots
Pine, cycad, casuarine

Importance of maintaining the biodiversity

Malaysia is one of the 12 mega biodiversity countries in the
world.
The importance of biodiversity
Source of clean air
Plants supply oxygen to and absorb carbon dioxide from
the atmosphere
Source of clean water

Forests and wetlands supply clean water by continuous

filtration
Source of medicines
Some plants are used in modern and traditional
medicines to treat diseases

 Source of food
Plants and animals are sources of food to humans
Source of raw materials
Trees and plants provide raw materials for timber, textile
and paper industries
Source of shelter

Some plants provide shelters (habitats) to many species

of birds, mammals and insects
Biodiversity is our natural heritage that should be preserved by
Educating the public
Protecting threatened species
Protecting and managing natural habitats
Using natural resources and biodiversity wisely