CHAPTER 3

BIODIVERSITY

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3.1 Organisms and their classification
1. Organisms are living things such as humans,
tigers, banana plants, ants, mosses and
starfish.
2. There are many living things around us and
this wide variety of organisms on Earth is
know as biodiversity.
3. Classification is the placing of things into
groups. Organisms are sorted into groups
according to their features.
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4. Habitat is the place where plants and
animals live. It provides the organisms with
food, protection and space for breeding.
5. Organisms are classified into two big groups,
namely
(a) the animal kingdom
= vertebrates(have backbone)
= invertebrates(do not have backbone)
(b)the plant kingdom
= flowering plants(produce flowers)
= non-flowering plants(do not produce flowers)

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 Fish Mammals
Live in water Live on land
Cold blooded Body covered with hair or fur
Breathe through gills Breathe through lungs
Body covered with slimy scales Warm blooded
Lay eggs Give birth to the young alive
Have fins Have well developed brain

Birds
Reptiles
Live on land
Most live on land
Body covered with feathers
Body covered with dry scales
Breathe through lungs
Breathe through lungs
Warm blooded
Cold blooded
Lay eggs
Lay eggs
Have wings

Amphibians
Live on both land and water
Cold blooded
Vertebrates Breathe through lungs and moist skin
Have soft moist skin
Lay eggs
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Invertebrates
With legs

Without legs

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Plants
Flowering plants
= monocotyledons > leaves with parallel veins
> have fibrous roots
> exp : paddy, maize
=dicotyledons > have net veined leaves
> have tap roots
> exp : beans, hibiscus
Non flowering plants
> ferns
> mosses
> fungi
> algae
> conifer 6
6. The importance of biodiversity to the
environment
(a)beautifies the environment
(b)helps to maintain a balanced of gases in
the air
(c)provides natural habitats for the living
organisms
(d)provides a source of food for the living
organisms
7. Malaysia is one of the twelve mega-
biodiversity counties in the world.
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Differences between dicotyledons and monocotyledons