Diversity in Living Organisms: Important Questions

Biodiversity is used to refer to the classification of living species found in a particular geographic region. There are millions of living organisms on earth with different sizes, shapes, habitats, nutrition, reproduction, etc. They live in different environments, and climates such as water, land, grasslands, deserts, forests, ice, water, and ice to forests, deserts, and grasslands and these organisms i.e. animals are made up of cells. These cells are made up of essential characteristics of living organisms which are structural units of life. The earth is highly diverse and is a region of mega biodiversity. We all know that the Species have evolved from ape-like beings to homo sapiens.

Read also: Diversity in Living Organisms Class 9: Overview and Classification

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Very Short Answer Questions [1 Marks Question]

Ques. What is biological classification?

Ans.The process of grouping all the organisms in on the basis of certain similarities and differences is known as Classification.

Ques. What are the characteristics which are taken into account in order to classify an organism?

Ans. There are the following characteristics that are taken into consideration when classifying an organism:

• The cell type present in the organism is having a eukaryotic cell or a prokaryotic cell.
• The number of cells that the organism is made up of which is either unicellular or multicellular.
• Organisms through photosynthesis can produce their own food.
• The nutrition of organisms whether it's autotrophic or heterotrophic. Morphological features of the organisms.

Ques. How are the living organisms identified?

Ans. The living organisms are classified on the basis of their body design in form and function.

Ques. What are the categories and classification in which kingdoms are divided by Robert Whittaker?

Ans. R.H Whittaker proposed a five-kingdom classification which are as follows:

• Monera
• Protista
• Fungi
• Plantae
• Animalia

Ques. What are Plantae and Animalia examples?

Ans. In a group within a cell where the organisms had a cell wall together is called the Plantae and the rest which are placed in other groups are known as Animalia.

Plantae Ex: mosses, liverworts, ferns, trees, shrubs, herbs etc. Animalia Ex: worms, leeches etc.

Ques. What is the further Classification Hierarchy of the Kingdom?

Ans. The classification is developed when the small groups are arranged from the lowest to the highest order. Each category in the hierarchy is known as Taxon.

• Kingdom
• Phylum / Division
• Class
• Order
• Family
• Genus
• Species

Short Answer Questions [2 Marks Question]

Ques. What are the characteristics of kingdom Monera?

Ans. The characteristics of kingdom Monera are as follows:

• These do not possess a defined nucleus or organelles.
• These do not have a multicellular body design.
• These usually have a cell wall.
• Some of the examples include bacteria, blue-green algae or cyanobacteria.

Ques. What are the characteristics of the kingdom Protista?

Ans. The characteristics of kingdom Protista are as follows:

• These include many kinds of unicellular eukaryotic organisms.
• These organisms are hair-like cilia or whip-like flagella for moving around.
• Their nutrition can be autotrophic or heterotrophic.
• Some of the examples include unicellular algae, diatoms and protozoans.

Ques. What are the characteristics of Animalia?

Ans. The characteristics of Animalia are as follows:

• These organisms are eukaryotic, multicellular, and heterotrophic.
• These do not have cell-walls.
• These are mobile in nature.
• These are classified based on extent and type of the body design differentiation found.

Ques. What are the characteristics of Porifera?

Ans. The characteristics of Porifera are as follows:

• These are non-motile animals attached to some solid support.
• These have holes or ‘pores’, all over the body.
• Due to holes or pores in the body that helps in circulating water throughout the body to bring in food and oxygen.
• These animals are covered with a hard outside layer or skeleton.
• They are commonly called sponges, and are mainly found in marine habitats.
• Some of the examples are Euplectella, Sycon, Songilla etc.

Ques. What are the characteristics of Coelenterata (Cnidaria)?

Ans. The characteristics of Coelenterata are as follows:

• These are animals living in water.
• These show more body design differentiation and cavity in the body.
• These are made up of 2 layers of cells: one makes up cells on the outside of the body, and the other makes the inner lining of the body.
• Some of the examples are Jellyfish and sea anemones.

Long Answer Questions [3 Marks Question]

Ques. What are the differences between amphibians and reptiles?

Ans. 

Ques. What are the differences between Arthropoda and Annelida?

Ans.

Ques. What are the differences between Aves and Mammalia?

Ans. 

Very Long Answer Questions [5 Marks Question]

Ques. Explain how animals in Vertebrates are classified further into subgroups?

Ans. These are animals that have a true vertebral column and internal skeleton, allowing a completely different distribution of muscle attachment points to be used for movement. These are bilaterally symmetrical, triploblastic, coelomic and segmented, with complex differentiation of body tissues and organs.

Vertebrates are grouped into 6 classes i.e.:

1. CYCLOSTOMATA

These are jawless vertebrates. They are characterized by having an elongated eel-like body, circular mouth, slimy skin and scaleless. Examples: Petromyzon (Lamprey) and Myxine (Hagfish).

2. PISCES

These are fish that are exclusively aquatic animals, which are covered with scales/ plates. They intake oxygen dissolved in water by using their gills. Their body is streamlined and has a muscular tail which helps them for movement. These are cold-blooded and their hearts have only two chambers. They lay eggs. Ex: Sharks, Tuna or Rohu etc.

3. AMPHIBIA

These differ from fish as they lack scales and have mucus glands in the skin, and have a three-chambered heart. Respiration is through either gills or lungs. They lay eggs. These are found in both water and on land. Example: Frogs, toads and salamanders.

4. REPTILIA

These are cold blooded animals that have scales and have scales and breathe through lungs, have four heart chambers. They have tough covering on their body and lay eggs. Ex: Snakes, turtles, lizards and crocodiles etc.

5. AVES

These are warm-blooded animals which have a four-chambered heart. They lay eggs. There is an outside covering of feathers, and two forelimbs are modified for flying. They breathe through their lungs. Ex: All birds fall in this category.

6. MAMMALIA

These are warm-blooded animals with four-chambered hearts. These have mammary glands for the production of milk to nourish their young. Ex: Humans, Whales, Bat, Cat, etc.

Ques. What are the characteristics of Protochordata?

Ans. The characteristics of Protochordata are as follows:

• Their notochord is a long rod-like support structure (chord=string) that runs along the back of the animal separating the nervous tissue from the gut.
• They have a new feature in body design namely a notochord, at least at some stages during their lives.
• They are marine animals.
• These animals are bilaterally symmetrical, triploblastic and have a coelom.
• Ex: Balanoglossus, Herdmania and Amphioxus.

Ques. What are the characteristics of Echinodermata?

Ans 3: The characteristics of Echinodermata are as follows:

• These are spiny skinned organisms.
• These are exclusively free-living marine animals.
• They are triploblastic and have a coelomic cavity.
• They are water-driven tube systems that are used for moving around.
• These have hard calcium carbonate structures that they use as a skeleton.
• Examples are sea-stars and sea urchins.

Ques. What are the characteristics of Mollusca?

Ans. The characteristics of Mollusca are as follows:

• These have bilateral symmetry, their coelomic cavity is reduced and have little segmentation.
• They have an open circulatory system and kidney-like organs for excretion.
• There is a foot that is used for moving around.
• Examples: snails and mussels.

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