Section 1 b) Key Words

Amphibians: Cold-blooded vertebrates that are semiterrestrial and oviparous. Their young are typically aqueous with gills.

Animals: A multicellular organism that feeds off other living organisms. Their cells have no cell walls, and they have a nervous system so they can move their whole bodies freely.

Bacteria: Unicellular organisms without nuclei, they have a loop of DNA and a plasmid instead. They have a cell wall and some contain chlorophyll for photosynthesis.

Birds: A class of warm-blooded oviparous veterbrates with feathers, a beak, and wings.

Binomial Classification: A internationally accepted two-part classification of species made up of genus and species.

Class: A taxonomic group between phylum and order

Classification: A way of grouping organisms based on their similarities. There are 7 levels of classification.

Family: A taxonomic group between genus and order

Fish: A cold-blooded oviparous class of animals that are vertebrates and have gills to breathe in water.

Fungi: Multi- or uni-cellular organisms, typically organised in fungal hyphal structures. They have chitin cell walls and secrete enzymes for extracellular saprotrophic nutrition

Genus: A taxonomic group between species and family

Invertebrates: Animals without a backbone

Kingdom: The highest taxonomic group - there are 5 kingdoms e.g. Animalia, plantae, protoctista

Mammals: A class of warm-blooded animals that are vertebrates and give birth to live young.

Multicellular: An organism made up of more than one cell

Order: A taxonomic group between class and family

Organisms: An individual living thing that carries out the seven life processes

Phylum: A taxonomic group between kingdom and class

Plants: Multicellular organism with chloroplasts for photosynthesis (produces its own food). They have cellulose cell walls and store carbohydrates as starch or sucrose.

Prokaryotes: Another name for the bacteria kingdom

Protoctists: Uni-cellular organisms that vary greatly in all other characteristics, they can be pathogenic (e.g. plasmodium which causes malaria) and can share characteristics with other kingdoms

Reptiles: A cold-blooded oviparous vertebrate that breathes through lungs and is covered in dry scales or plates

Species: A group of closely related organisms that are able to interbreed and produce live young. The fundamental category of taxonomic classification.

Unicellular: A single-celled organism

Vertebrates: Animals with a backbone

Viruses: Parasites that can only reproduce inside living cells. They are not classified as living organisms, they are a strand of genetic material surrounded by a protein coat.