Chapter 3 Biodiversity

1.Organisms are living things such as humans, tigers, banana plants, ants,mosses and starfish.
2.Biodiversity can be classified into animals and plants.
3.There are many living things around us and this wide variety of organisms on Earth is known
as biodiversity.
4.Animals are divided into vertebrates and invertebrates.
5.Classification is the placing of things into groups. Organisms are sorted into groups according
to their features.
6.Habitat is the place where plants and animals live.It provides the organisms with food,
protection and space for breeding.
7.Two big groups of the classification of living organisms are

(a) The animals Vertebrates: Have backbone

Invertebrates: Do not have backbone

(b) The plants Flowering plants: Produce flowers

Non-flowering plants: Do not produce flowers
8.The common characteristics of vertebrates include:
(a)Warm blooded or cold blooded
(b)Types of lining of the body
(c)Types of respiration
(d)Methods of reproduction
(e)Types of fertilization
9.There are five types of vertebrates.
(a) Mammals (d) Birds
(b) Amphibians (e) Fish
(c) Reptiles
10.Invertebrates are classified based on the following common characteristics:
a) Crab
-Has hard shell
-Has segmented legs
-Lays egg

b) Spider
-Has body covered with cuticles
-Has 8 legs
-Lays egg

c)Flies
-Has wings
 -Has 6 legs
-Lays egg

d)Earthworm
-Has soft and segmented body
-Does not has legs
-Lays egg
11.Plants can be classified into:
(a) Flowering plants
(b) Non-flowering plants

12.Classification of flowering plants

CHARACTERISTICS MONOCOTYLEDON DICOTYLEDON

SEED HAS ONE COTYLEDON HAS TWO COTYLEDON
LEAF PARALLEL VEINS NETWORK VEINS
STEM SOF AND NON-WOODY HARD AND WOODY
STEM STEM
ROOT FIBROUS ROOT TAP ROOT

13. Vertebrates are animals that have backbone and be classified

into mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles.
14. Invertebrates are animals that do not have backbones.
15. Vertebrates

Classification of vertebrates
16.

Classification of plants

18.The importance of biodiversity to the environment:

(a) Helps to maintain a balance of gases in the air
(b) Provides natural habitats for the living organisms
(c) Provides a source of food for the living organisms