Chapter 1 Living World

K C MEENA
PGT BIOLOGY KVS

www.biokailashkvs.com
CHAPTER – 1: LIVING WORLD
Biology is the science of life forms and non-living processes. The living world comprises an
amazing diversity of living organisms. In order to facilitate the study of kinds and diversity of
organisms, biologists have evolved certain rules and principles for identification, nomenclature and
classification of organisms. The branchof biology dealing with these aspects is referred to as
Taxonomy.
Life is a characteristic that distinguishesobjectsthat havesignaling and self-sustaining

processesfrom those that do not, either because such functions have ceased (death), or else because
they lack such functions and are classified asinanimate. Biologyis the science concerned with the
study of life.
Characteristics features of Living things / Differences between living and non-living things:
a) Growth
b) Reproduction
c) Metabolism
d) Response to stimuli
Biodiversity: Rangeof organisms present on earth (1.7 – 1.8 million)
Identification: Comparing similarities and differences with already known ones.
Nomenclature: Naming of organisms. The names are unique and universal.
Rules for nomenclature are provided by;
a) ICBN – International Code for Botanical Nomenclature

b) ICZN – International Code for Zoological Nomenclature
Binomial Nomenclature:
Carolous Linnaeus – Father of Taxonomy

Name with two parts: - Generic name (Genus) & Specific epithet (Species)
Guidelines and Principles for Nomenclature:
a) It should be in Latin / derived from Latin.

b) If it is written in Italics when types and underlined when handwritten.
c) It contains two parts, first word is Genus ; second word is Species.
d) Genus name starts with Capital while species name starts with small letters.
e) Name should be short, precise & easy to pronounce.
f) Name of the author is written is an abbreviated form after the species name. Ex.
Mangifera indica Linn.
K C MEENA
PGT BIOLOGY KVS
Example:
Mangifera indica ( Mango)
Homo sapiens ( Human)
Panthera pardus (Leopard)
Felis domestica (Cat)
Classification – Grouping of organisms in to categories based on observable characters. (category –

taxa ) Taxonomy - Characterization, identification , classification and nomenclature are the process
of taxonomy.
Systematics - Different kinds of organisms and their relationships Linnaeus – Systema Naturae
(evaolutionaryrelationships among organisms).
Taxonomical Hierarchy – Similarities decreases/ Differencesincreases
Species Genus Family Order Class Phylum Divisions Kingdom
1. Species -Panthera leo, Panthera pardus, Panthera tigris.

2. Genus- Panthera (Lion,Leopad,Tiger )
3. Family- Panthera and Felis together into Felidae
4. Order - Felidae (cat family) , Canidae(dog family) - Carnivora
5. Class - Carnivora(tiger, cat, dog), Primates (monkeys )- Mammalian
6. Phylum – Pisces, Amphibian, Reptilian, Aves& Mammals
7. Kingdom – Plantae, Animalia.
Taxonomical Aids:
1. Herbarium
2. Botanical garden- NBRI (Lucknow )& IBG(Howrah )
3. Museum
4. Zoologicalparks.
5. Key (analytical in nature)
6. Monograph ( 1 family / genera at a time. )
7. Manuals (particular area , family/ genus/ species )
8. Flora (habitat & description of plants in a given area )
Taxonomical aids
 These are the procedures and techniques used to store and preserve information as well as
specimens of various plants and animals.
 These help in identification, naming, and classification of organisms.
K C MEENA
PGT BIOLOGY KVS
Herbarium
 It is the storehouse of collected plant specimens.

 Collected plant specimens are dried, pressed, and preserved on sheets and then arranged
systematically according to the universally accepted system of classification.
 Herbarium sheet contains label regarding date, place of the collection, scientific name,
family, collector’s name, etc. of the specimen.
Botanical gardens
 It has the collection of living plant species that are grown for identification and reference.
 Each plant contains labels indicating their scientific name and family.
 Some famous botanical gardens are Indian Botanical Garden, Calcutta (largest in India),
Royal Botanical Garden, Kew (largest in world till date)and NationalBotanical Research
Institute.
Museum
 It is the repository that has a collection of various plant and animal specimens that are
preserved for study and reference.
 The organisms are preserved either in preservative solution or in the form of dry specimen
 It often has a collection of skeletons of animals also.
Zoological parks
 Wild animals are kept in protected environments.

 Providesopportunity for studying the behaviour and food habits of the animals
Key
 Keys are used for identification of plants and animals based on similarities
anddissimilarities.
 Manuals, monographs, and catalogues are other means of recording descriptions.
 Manuals help in the identification of names of various species of organisms in agiven area.
 Monograph is a detailed and well-documented work on any particular taxon.
Organisms with their Taxonomic categories:
Man : Homo sapiens – Homo – Hominidae – Primate – Chordate - Mammalia

Housefly : Musca domestica - Musca – Muscidae – Diptera - Insecta -Arthropoda
Mango : Mangifera indica – Mangifera - Anacardiaceae - Sapindales- Dicotyledonae
-
Angiospermae
Wheat : Triticum aestivum – Triticum – Poaceae – Poales - Monocotyledonae - Angiospermae
********************

Chapter 1 Living World

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Chapter 1 Living World

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Chapter 1 Living World

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

K C MEENA

PGT BIOLOGY KVS

Life is a characteristic that distinguishesobjectsthat havesignaling and self-sustaining

Biodiversity: Rangeof organisms present on earth (1.7 – 1.8 million)

Identification: Comparing similarities and differences with already known ones.

Nomenclature: Naming of organisms. The names are unique and universal.

Rules for nomenclature are provided by;

a) ICBN – International Code for Botanical Nomenclature

Carolous Linnaeus – Father of Taxonomy

Guidelines and Principles for Nomenclature:

a) It should be in Latin / derived from Latin.

Classification – Grouping of organisms in to categories based on observable characters. (category –

Species Genus Family Order Class Phylum Divisions Kingdom

1. Species -Panthera leo, Panthera pardus, Panthera tigris.

 It is the storehouse of collected plant specimens.

 Wild animals are kept in protected environments.

Organisms with their Taxonomic categories:

Man : Homo sapiens – Homo – Hominidae – Primate – Chordate - Mammalia

You might also like