Topic 1.6: Diversity of Organisms Questions

State what is meant by each of the following terms: (a) a hybrid, and (b) a sterile organism.

What does the word 'dichotomous' tell you about how a dichotomous key is built?

When a dichotomous key 'keys out' an organism, what has happened?

A zoo keeper describes an animal in the great-ape enclosure: it is covered in hair, the mother nurses her infant, and it has a backbone. Outline two features that identify this animal as a mammal.

A biologist observes a single Amoeba flow around a smaller protist, surround it and take it into a food vacuole. Which function of life does this observation best show?

Which set of features would let you place an unfamiliar animal in the bird class with confidence?

Outline what a dichotomous key is and how it is used to identify an organism.

A student uses this dichotomous key on a small animal. Step 1 — Body has jointed legs → go to Step 2 / Body has no jointed legs → go to Step 3 Step 2 — Three pairs of legs → Insect / Four pairs of legs → Spider Step 3 — Body inside a coiled shell → Snail / Body soft with no shell → Slug The animal has no jointed legs and carries a coiled shell. Which organism does the key identify?

Both plant cells and fungal cells have a cell wall. What is the key difference in the material of these walls?

A single-celled Euglena in pond water swims steadily toward a brighter, sunlit region. Which function of life does this directed movement best show?

An animal has a backbone, is covered in scales, breathes through gills, and uses fins to move through water. Which vertebrate class does it belong to?

Outline what is meant by binomial nomenclature.

Two breeds of duck that look very different are bred together. Their ducklings grow up and successfully raise broods of their own. Outline why the two breeds belong to the same species.

Which statement gives the complete biological definition of a species?

A liger is produced when a lion and a tiger are crossed. What is the correct term for an offspring of two different species such as a liger?

Plants, animals, fungi and protists are all placed in the eukaryote group. What feature must their cells therefore share?

State one structural feature that a flowering plant (angiosperm) has which a moss (bryophyte) lacks.

A tiny chihuahua and a large great dane look very different, yet they can interbreed and produce fertile puppies. What does this tell you?

State the two parts of a binomial name and how each is written.

This key sorts four pond vertebrates. Step 1 — Skin covered in wet scales and breathes with gills → Fish / Other skin → go to Step 2 Step 2 — Moist bare skin, no scales → Amphibian / Dry skin → go to Step 3 Step 3 — Dry scales → Reptile / Feathers → Bird An animal has wet scales and breathes using gills. Which group does the key key out?