Classification
Identify three characteristics of living things.
Growth, reproduction, movement, response to stimuli, excretion of waste, need for nutrition, respiration
What type of features should you use when writing questions in a dichotomous key?
Strong, observable features
What is a food chain?
A linear sequence showing who eats whom.
What is an abiotic factor? Give one example.
A non-living part of the environment, e.g. temperature, light, water.
What is an autotroph?
Autotrophs are organisms that make their own nutrients from the sun
What’s wrong with this question: “Does the animal have legs or is it small?”
Each step should compare only one type of feature.
What do arrows in a food chain represent?
The direction of energy flow
What is a biotic factor? Give one example.
A living part of the environment, e.g. predators, plants, fungi.
Identify the five types of vertebrates
Mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish
Why should the wording in a dichotomous key avoid subjective terms like “large” or “beautiful”?
People might interpret them differently.
What is the difference between producers and consumers?
Producers make their own food; consumers eat other organisms.
How could a drought affect a food web?
It reduces plant growth → less food for herbivores → fewer carnivores.
Identify the rules of binomial nomenclature
Genus is capitalised. Species is in lowercase. Both words are underlined or italicised
What happens if you accidentally use a feature that changes with age or season (like leaf colour)?
The key becomes unreliable, since organisms might not always fit the same description.
How is a food web different from a food chain?
A food web shows multiple interconnected food chains.
If there’s less rainfall over several months, what happens to producers and consumers?
Producers (plants) may die → less food → consumer populations decline.
Identify the seven kingdoms of life
Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Chromista (algae), Protozoa (single-celled), Bacteria, Archaea (no nucleus)
What does “dichotomous” mean?
It means “divided into two parts”
If a top predator is removed, what might happen to the populations below it?
Prey populations may increase, causing imbalance.
What might happen if an invasive species enters a new ecosystem?
It could outcompete native species and reduce biodiversity.