Features of organism - Taxonomy
This information is about Taxonomy, the science of naming and grouping living things.
Scientists use specific "checklists" to decide where an organism belongs. Here is the breakdown of the categories you provided:
The Universal Checklist:
Before looking at specific groups, scientists look for these three features that almost all living things have:
• Cell Membrane: A boundary that controls what goes in and out.
• Cytoplasm: The jelly-like fluid where life processes happen.
• DNA: The genetic "blueprint" for the organism.
The Animal Kingdom Checklist:
To be classified as an Animal, an organism must meet these three specific criteria:
1. Multicellular: Made of many cells (unlike a single-celled bacterium).
2. No Cell Walls or Chloroplasts: Their cells are flexible and cannot make food from sunlight (unlike plants).
3. Internal Digestion: They must eat "solid food" and break it down inside their bodies.
The Major Divisions:
Once an organism is identified as an animal, it is sorted further into two main paths:
• Invertebrates (like Arthropods): Animals with no backbone, often having a hard outer shell (exoskeleton) and jointed legs.
• Vertebrates: Animals with a backbone, split into five classes: Fish, Amphibians, Reptiles, Birds, and Mammals