• UN I T •

THE DIVERSITY
A OF LIFE

TER
P
C HA

1 Living things have

similarities and
differences.

TER
P
C HA

2 Classifying living
things helps us
understand the
diversity of life.

TER
P
C HA

3 Magnifying tools
make the invisible
world visible.

TER
P
C HA

4 Living things
adapt to their
environments.

2 NEL
 Preview

Welcome to life—the most amazing show on Earth! Our planet is crawling,

swimming, hopping, and buzzing with living things. They come in every
colour, shape, and size you can imagine, from giant trees that tower over us to
tiny bacteria that can only be seen with a microscope. There is life on barren
mountaintops, in sunbaked deserts, in the deepest oceans, and in the icy
waters of the Antarctic Ocean. In fact, there isn’t any place on Earth where
life doesn’t exist. Even more amazing, Earth is the only place where life does
exist—as far as we know.
Look at the photo on this page. How many different living things can you
see? Why does life come in so many different forms? Do you know what makes
all forms of life alike in some ways? Do you know what makes them like you?
In this unit, you will discover the answers to these questions and many
other questions about living things. You will learn how scientists observe
living things and classify them into groups. Like a scientist, you will use a
microscope to investigate living things that are too tiny for just your eyes to
see. As you do these activities, you will follow the same steps that scientists
follow as they explore the incredible diversity of living things. What you
discover might surprise you!

TRY THIS: MAKE A LIVING WORLD WEB

Skills Focus: questioning, predicting

1. Create a web that shows what you already know about the variety of life on
Earth. Write the words “Life on Earth” in the centre. Radiating from the centre,
write different questions about the diversity of life on Earth. For example,
you could include questions such as these: What does it mean to be living?
What kinds of living things exist? How do living things adapt to survive?
What do I know about living things?
2. Beside each question, write a “best guess” answer. Do not worry about being
correct. Use your imagination!

A tidal pool in Burnaby Narrows, Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, contains a variety of
life like these colourful sea stars.

NEL Unit A Preview 3

 •C
HAPTER • Living things have
1 similarities and
differences.

KEY IDEAS
Living things share
characteristics.

Living things share

basic needs.

Living things are diverse.

It is easy to see how the dolphins and the snorkelling child in the
photo are different from each other. The dolphins are in their natural
habitat, while the child is using fins and a snorkel to swim in the
water. But how are they the same? The dolphins and the child are just
two examples of the incredible diversity of living things on Earth. In
this chapter, you will discover that dolphins and children, as well as
every other living thing, are surprisingly alike in many ways.
4 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL
 The Characteristics
of Living Things
1.1
The world around us is made up of both living and non-living things.
But how do we tell the difference? Look at Figure 1. Which things are
living and which are non-living? Are the rocks living things? Is the
lake itself a living thing? What is the difference between the twigs
growing on the tree’s branches and the twigs in the bird nest?

LEARNING TIP
You have already studied
living things in earlier
grades. Look at the
headings in this chapter
and review what you know
about the similarities
among living things.

Figure 1
What living things do you see in this picture? What non-living things do you see?

One way to identify living things, or organisms, is to look at the LEARNING TIP
characteristics they have in common. Important vocabulary words
are highlighted. These are
Living things words that you should learn
and use when you answer
• are made of one or more cells questions. These words are
• grow and develop also defined in the glossary
• reproduce at the back of this book.
• respond
Non-living things, such as rocks and buildings, do not have these
characteristics.
NEL 1.1 The Characteristics of Living Things 5
 Living things are made of one or more cells. A cell is a tiny,
microscopic structure that is the basic unit of all living things. Some
living things, such as the bacteria shown in Figure 2, are made up of
only one cell. Other living things, such as the deer shown in Figure 3,
contain many cells. You are made of trillions of cells.

Figure 2 Figure 3
Bacteria Deer

Living things grow and develop. Some organisms, such as a

butterfly, change shape as they grow and develop. Figure 4 shows the
life cycle of a butterfly. Other organisms, such as a cat or a human,
are born looking like miniature adults. Most organisms have a life
span—the maximum time that they can live. Some bacteria live for
only a few hours. A mayfly’s life span is one to three days, and a
human’s life span is over 110 years. Some plants and fungi can live
for more than 10 000 years!

Figure 4
A caterpillar grows and develops into a butterfly.

6 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 Living things reproduce to form more of the same kind of
organism. These offspring are also able to reproduce. There are
many methods of reproduction. Some organisms, such as humans,
give birth to live young. Other organisms, such as birds and fish,
hatch from eggs. Figure 5 shows a bald eagle nesting in a tree. Plants
develop from seeds or spores. Bacteria reproduce by splitting into
two identical cells.

Figure 5
A bald eagle

Living things respond. For example, if you touch something hot,

you respond by quickly pulling your hand away. Or if you look into
a bright light, you respond by squinting your eyes. Some plants, such
as sunflowers, respond to light by turning towards it (Figure 6).

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. Look at Figure 1. What is the difference between the fish in the lake
and the fish in the net?
2. Which main characteristic of living things does each statement
represent?
• You are constantly losing skin cells.
• A rabbit gives birth to babies.
• Lobsters can live for 50 years.
• A tadpole develops into a frog.
• Bacteria divide to form two identical, smaller cells.
• A sow bug rolls itself into a ball when it is touched.
3. Choose an organism that lives in your community. Use the Figure 6
characteristics of living things to show that it is a living thing. Sunflowers take their name from
the way they turn to face the Sun.

NEL 1.1 The Characteristics of Living Things 7

 1.2 The Needs of Living Things

TRY THIS: IDENTIFY A PLANT’S NEEDS

Skills Focus: observing, inferring, communicating

Obtain a geranium or bean plant from your teacher. Cut two

pieces of aluminum foil into shapes, such as rectangles or
triangles. Attach each foil shape to a leaf using a paper clip, as
shown in Figure 1. Put the plant in a window, where it will get
plenty of sunlight. After three or four days, remove the foil shapes
from the leaves. Record your observations in your notebook.
Figure 1
1. What happened to the leaves with the shapes?
Make sure that the foil shape covers
2. What does this tell you about the needs of plants? at least half of the leaf and that it
covers both the top and the bottom.

All organisms have the same basic needs. They must find these
things within their environments, or they will die.
Living things need nutrients and energy. Nutrients are substances
that organisms need to keep healthy and grow. Nutrients are found in
foods and in the soil. Organisms also need energy to grow and
develop, and to reproduce. Different organisms use different types of
energy. Plants use the Sun’s energy to make their own food. The
aphids in Figure 2 feed on plants. Spiders and birds eat the aphids. In
this way, the Sun’s energy is passed from one living thing to another.
Living things need water. Water is the main ingredient of the
cells of all living things. You, for example, are about two-thirds
water! Without water, you could live for only a few days. Some
Figure 2 organisms, such as the cactus in Figure 3, can live in a very dry
Aphids suck the sap from plants. environment by storing moisture in their stems or leaves.

Figure 3
A prickly pear cactus in Fraser
Canyon, British Columbia.

8 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 Living things need air. You, and other organisms that live on
land, get oxygen from the air. Fish use oxygen in the water. Marine
mammals, such as the orca in Figure 4, come to the surface for
oxygen. Green plants use carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight
to make food.

Figure 4
The orca breathes air at the surface.

Living things need a habitat, or a place to live. A habitat may be

a hole in a tree or an isolated mountaintop (Figure 5). It is a place
where an organism has living space and the right conditions, such as
nutrients and energy, water, air, and temperature, to survive. Usually,
many organisms share a habitat. For example, coral reefs provide a
habitat for many plants, animals, and other marine organisms.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. In your notebook, make a table like the one below. Use what you have
learned about the needs of organisms to complete your table.

Need of organism Two examples of how organisms meet this need

nutrients and energy - Plants get energy from the Sun.

-
water

habitat

Figure 5
The habitat of the mountain goat
includes steep cliffs and rocky
2. How do you meet each of the basic needs listed in the table? slopes.
(For example, you get energy from the food you eat.)

NEL 1.2 The Needs of Living Things 9

 1.3 Design Your Own Experiment

SKILLS MENU
Questioning Observing
What Factors Affect the Growth
Predicting Measuring of a Potato?
Hypothesizing Classifying
All plants need energy from the Sun, water, and a habitat that
Designing Inferring
Experiments provides the right temperature to live. Each of these needs is a factor,
Controlling
Variables
Interpreting
Data
or variable, in the plant’s survival. Design an experiment to test how
Creating Communicating sunlight, water, and temperature affect the growth of two potatoes.
Models

Question
How does the amount of energy from the Sun, water, or temperature
LEARNING TIP affect the growth of potatoes?
For help with this activity,
read the Skills Handbook Hypothesis
sections "Designing Your
Write a hypothesis that answers the question. Make sure that you
Own Experiment,"
"Hypothesizing," and complete your hypothesis with a short explanation of your reasons.
"Controlling Variables." Write your hypothesis in the form “If . . . then . . . because . . . .”

Materials
• apron
• 2 tuber potatoes
• ruler
apron Decide what other materials you will need. Check with your teacher
to make sure that these materials are safe for you to use.

tuber potatoes

ruler

10 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 Procedure

• Design a procedure to test your hypothesis. • Submit your procedure, including any
A procedure is a step-by-step description safety precautions, to your teacher for
of how you will conduct your experiment. approval. Also submit a diagram, at least
It must be clear enough for someone else half a page in size, showing how you will
to follow your instructions and do the set up your experiment.
exact same experiment.

Data and Observations LEARNING TIP

Create a table to record your observations. Record your observations When you make
as you carry out your experiment. observations, it is
important to be accurate
and complete. Read the
Analysis Skills Handbook section
1. Describe the growth of the potato that received the lesser "Observing" to learn
amount of the variable you tested. How well did it grow? about the different types
of observations and why
2. Describe the growth of the potato that received the greater each one is important.
amount of the variable you tested. How well did it grow?
3. How does the variable you tested affect the growth of potatoes?

Conclusion
Look back at your hypothesis. Did your observations support,
partly support, or not support your hypothesis? Write a conclusion
that explains the results of your experiment.

Applications
1. How could you use what you learned from your experiment
when growing plants at home?
2. Why would your conclusions be important information for
a garden store or for a grocery store that doesn't want the
potatoes to grow?

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. How did your understanding of the needs of living things help you
form a hypothesis for your experiment?
2. What was the independent variable in your experiment? What was
the dependent variable?
3. Why was it important to change only one variable?

NEL 1.3 Design Your Own Experiment 11

 1.4 Living Things Are Diverse

You have learned that all living things are alike in some ways. They
share certain characteristics and they have the same basic needs. But
aside from these similarities, living things come in an astonishing
variety of forms (Figure 1). In fact, the most amazing thing about life
is the variety, or diversity, of living things on Earth.

Figure 1
What are some of the differences between the scarlet macaw and the whale shark?

For example, living things come in all sizes, from the towering
giant sequoia (Figure 2) to organisms that are so small they cannot
be seen with the naked eye (Figure 3). Magnifying tools, such as
microscopes, have allowed scientists to identify thousands of tiny
organisms, including some that live on and inside our bodies. You
will use magnifying tools to look at living things in Chapter 3.

Figure 2 Figure 3
The largest giant sequoias are as tall as a A bacterial cell can only be seen under a
26-storey building. microscope.

12 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 Organisms also get their food in different ways. Plants can make
their own food. They use sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water
into food in a process called photosynthesis [foh-toh-SIN-thuh-sis].
However, there are some plants, like the Venus flytrap, that capture
and eat small insects (Figure 4). Fungi, such as mushrooms, live right
on their food source. Animals have to look for their food sources. For
example, think about how you get your food. You have to search for
your food, even if it’s just in the kitchen. In general, animals eat plants,
other animals, or the remains of living things (Figure 5).

LEARNING TIP
Look at the three pairs
of photos in this section.
Think about what is being
compared in each pair of
photos.

Figure 4 Figure 5
The Venus flytrap is able to make its own The great blue heron eats fish, turtles,
food and feed on insects that it captures. and frogs.

Organisms move in every imaginable way. Some move along on

legs (Figure 6). Those with wings, such as robins and bats, are able to
fly overhead. Some organisms, such as fish and marine mammals,
swim through the water using fins or flippers. Plants, on the other
hand, remain in one place for their entire lives.
There is a great diversity of organisms on Earth and new
organisms are discovered every day. Scientists have now identified
over 1.7 million different organisms; however, they believe there may Figure 6
be more than 10 million organisms that have not yet been identified. Although this giant desert
In the next chapter, you will look at how all these diverse organisms centipede doesn't have 100 legs (as
can be organized. its name implies), it does have two
legs on each of its body segments.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. What are some of the ways that organisms differ from one another?

NEL 1.4 Living Things Are Diverse 13

 Awesome SCIENCE
The living world is full of strange and
wonderful creatures—and lots of surprises!

SPIDERS BY THE MILLION! GREAT IMPOSTERS

Scientists were amazed to discover a 24-hectare With eyes like these,
spider web covering a field of clover east of it’s no wonder that the
McBride, British Columbia. When they took a swallowtail caterpillar
closer look, they found tens of millions of spiders scares off predators.
(about two spiders per square centimetre), Or are they eyes? In
frantically engaged in the mystery building project. fact, they’re eyespots—
The scientists don’t believe that the monster web markings that look like
was meant to be a giant insect trap because the the eyes of a much
spiders did not seem interested in the insects larger creature. Eyespots
caught in it. But they still don’t know what it was. are an example of
One scientist joked that maybe the spiders were mimicry. They are an
trying to catch a sheep! How could the scientists effective way to keep
find out more about this strange phenomenon? from becoming
What would you want to find out? someone’s lunch!

The hawk moth is another great mimic. The

snake-like appearance of the hawk moth caterpillar
scares predators looking for a tasty feast. As a
mature moth, its brown wings and shape easily
blend into the bark of a tree. This makes it nearly
impossible to see. Can you find other examples of
organisms that use mimicry to survive?

14 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

REALLY SMALL-SCALE OPEN WIDE!
FARMING AND RANCHING The leatherback turtle is the
Humans are not the world’s only farmers, or even largest and most ancient
the world’s first farmers. In fact, the world’s first species of sea turtle living
farmers were leaf-cutter ants. These tiny ants cut today. Although it does not
out small pieces of leaves, chew them up, and have any teeth, it can sure bite
leave them to decompose. The fungus that grows hard! It uses two upper “fangs”
on the decaying mass is harvested and used as the to capture a jellyfish. Then it uses long, backward-
ants’ main food supply. facing spines in its mouth to swallow the meal. In
fact, the leatherback’s mouth protects it so well
that it can eat a poisonous Portuguese man-of-
war jellyfish without even getting stung!

GIANT DRAGONS DO EXIST!

It is 3 m long and has razor-like teeth and poisonous
saliva. If that’s not bad enough, it can run as fast as
a dog for short distances. Fortunately, the Komodo
dragon is found on only a few small islands in
Indonesia. While it gets the name “dragon” from
its fearsome characteristics, it is actually the world’s
Other ants are ranchers, herding aphids onto
largest lizard. In addition to its speed and its ability
young, sap-rich plants. The ants protect the aphids
to spot objects up to 300 m away, it’s the dragon’s
from predators to get their “milk”—the honeydew
sense of smell that makes it so deadly. Whipping its
that the aphids excrete. The ants feed this milk to
long tongue in and out, the Komodo dragon
their young. What other characteristics do ants
samples the air and can find a meal 4 km away.
and humans share?
What can you infer about the sense organs on the
Komodo dragon’s tongue?
JUST GROW IT AGAIN!
What would you get if you cut a flatworm into
four pieces? Wait two weeks and you’ll have four
new worms! A flatworm can regenerate, or grow
back, a lost part of its body.

How does this happen? The secret is in the cells.

A flatworm has stem cells that can be sent into
action when its body has been damaged. Stem
cells are not specialized. They can become any type
of cell. For the flatworm, they develop into tissue
for the other half of the worm’s body. How could
understanding regeneration be helpful to humans?

NEL Awesome SCIENCE 15

 1 Chapter Review
Living things have similarities and
differences.

Key Idea: Living things share characteristics. Vocabulary

organisms p. 5
cell p. 6

They are made of They grow and They reproduce. They respond
one or more cells. develop. to light.

Key Idea: Living things share basic needs.

Nutrients and Water Air Habitat

energy

Key Idea: Living things are diverse.

16 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

Review Key Ideas and 5. Look at the photo below. Name an organism
Vocabulary that could survive in this environment. How
When answering the questions, remember to would the organism meet each of its needs?
use the chapter vocabulary.
1. Create two columns on a piece of paper.
Compare a salmon and a tomato plant,
based on the characteristics of living things.

1. Salmon Tomato plant

2. How is each of the following organisms

meeting its needs?
• Worms burrow into the ground.
• Mudpuppies are solitary. They build
walls around their territory to keep
others away.
• The Gila monster stores fat in its tail.
• A Venus flytrap snaps shut when it
senses an insect on its leaves.
• A frog soaks up water through its skin.
3. What do scientists mean when they talk
about the "diversity of life"? 6. When would it be important to
understand the differences between living
Use What You’ve Learned and non-living things?
4. Volcanoes grow over time. Use what you
have learned about the characteristics and Think Critically
needs of living things to explain whether 7. List at least five benefits of living on a
or not volcanoes are living things. planet that has such a diversity of
organisms.

Reflect on Your Learning

8. List three questions that you still have
about living things. Glance through the
rest of this unit. Do you think your
questions will be answered in the topics
that are covered? If not, where can you go
to find the answers?
NEL Chapter 1 Review 17
 •C
HAPTER • Classifying living things
2 helps us understand the
diversity of life.

KEY IDEAS
People use classification
systems to organize the
diversity of living things.

Living things can be

unicellular or
multicellular.

Scientists classify
organisms into groups
based on internal and
external features.

Scientists classify living

things into five
kingdoms: Animalia,
Plantae, Fungi, Protista,
and Monera.

Have you ever hunted through your bedroom for a favourite T-shirt
or CD? If you have, then you know how frustrating it is not to be able
to find something you want. You also know that if you sorted things
into groups, it would be easier to keep track of them. How are the
things grouped in the above photo? How does each system help us
find what we are looking for?
Scientists also sort things into groups so that they are easier to
understand. There is such an incredible diversity of life on Earth.
Living organisms come in all sizes, shapes, colours, and textures.
How do scientists classify all these different organisms into groups?
18 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL
 Ways of Classifying
Living Things
2.1

When you classify things, such as books or DVDs, you put the things
that have similar characteristics together. These characteristics could
be topic, author, or size. Sorting things into groups makes it easier to
keep track of them.
Organizing things according to their similarities and differences
is called classification. You used a classification system to sort
living and non-living things in Chapter 1. You found that living
things share the same characteristics and needs.
But how could you further classify all the thousands of living
things around you? People use different systems, depending on what
they want to know and what is important to them. For example, if
you were on a deserted island, the first thing you would probably
want to know is which plants you could eat and which plants you
couldn’t. Eventually, you would need and want to know much more.
Grouping living things according to your observations helps you
keep track of your knowledge.

TRY THIS: GROUP ORGANISMS

Skills Focus: observing, classifying

Look at the organisms in Figure 1. You can group them in many different
ways. For example, you can group them by how they move, what they eat,
where they live, and what they look like.
1. Explain how you would group these organisms.
2. What characteristics did you use to group these organisms?

Figure 1

NEL 2.1 Ways of Classifying Living Things 19

 Traditional Ways of Classifying
Living Things
All people use classification systems to organize their knowledge of
the living things around them. In the past, people relied on their
detailed knowledge of living things to help them survive on the
plants and animals that were available to them.
Aboriginal peoples, for example, use classification systems that are
based on careful observation of the living world. The Aboriginal
peoples of the northwest coast of British Columbia, for example,
have classified over 200 different plants according to their uses, such
as food and medicine (Figure 2). This information has been passed
from generation to generation.

Figure 2
Some Aboriginal peoples use the leaves and twigs of the wild lilac plant to treat pain.

Aboriginal peoples also classify animals according to important

characteristics. For example, they classify animals according to which
animals are useful and which are dangerous, or where the animals
are found. They also classify animals on the basis of helpful
information, such as the season in which the animals can be hunted
or the animals’ use as a source of clothing or food.
20 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL
Scientific Ways of Classifying
Living Things
Scientists use classification systems
to help understand the diversity of
life on Earth. They examine the
internal structures (cells and organs)
and external structures (what the
organism looks like) of living things
to discover how organisms are
similar and how they are different.
They use microscopes and other
forms of technology to compare
organisms in a very detailed way
(Figure 3). For example, they can
compare the cell structure of
different organisms. They can also
compare organisms from around
the world to discover how different Figure 3
organisms may be related. A scientist uses an electron microscope to look at an organism.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. Copy the following chart into your notebook. List at least five
classification systems that you use to organize things. Explain how
each classification system makes your life simpler. The first row is
filled in for you.

1. Different Classification Systems

Classification Use How it makes

system life simpler

alphabetical order telephone book find names quickly

2. Explain how Aboriginal peoples classify organisms. How does their

system differ from the way scientists classify organisms? How is it
the same?

NEL 2.1 Ways of Classifying Living Things 21

 2.2 The Key to Classification

Scientists classify organisms by looking at their characteristics. They

then develop questions that will help them identify and classify
organisms. For example, they might ask whether an organism makes
its own food. If the answer is yes, then the organism is probably a
plant. If the answer is no, the organism is not a plant. This set of
questions is called a classification key. It helps scientists find
similarities and differences among a group of organisms. Let’s see
how a classification key works.

Identifying Berries Using a Key

Aboriginal peoples have learned to recognize edible berries and to avoid
LEARNING TIP poisonous berries and berries that taste bad. They carefully observe the
If you want to know more
leaves of a plant and the way that the berries grow on the plant. How
about how Aboriginal would you know which berries were safe to eat in the woods?
peoples classify things, ask
your teacher if it is possible
Which of the berries shown in Figure 1 would be good to eat?
to bring in an Aboriginal You can use a classification key to help you decide. Look at the key
Elder as a guest speaker. in Figure 2.What characteristics are being described?

Figure 1
Which of these berries would you eat?

22 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 1. a berries grow along the stem go to 2
LEARNING TIP
To use the classification
1. b berries grow in one area on the stem go to 3
key, choose one of the
2. a single berries huckleberries = berries shown in Figure 1.
edible Then read statements 1. a
and 1. b in Figure 2 to see
2. b berries in clusters on a stem go to 3 which statement describes
the berry. Then follow the
directions in the next
column. Keep following
the key until you find the
3. a single leaves with teeth wild cherry = name of the berry.
edible but can
taste bitter

3. b leaves divided into leaflets from go to 4

a central stalk

4. a dark velvet red berries sumac = edible

but tastes sour
4. b powdery blue berries blue elderberry =
edible Figure 2
A classification key

The key first asks you to look at where the berries are found on
the plant (whether they grow along the stem or only on one place on
the stem). You then consider whether the berries grow in clusters or
as single berries. The next step is to look at the leaves of the plant.
Finally, the key uses the colour of the berries. All of these
characteristics describe the external, physical structures of the plant.
Use the classification key to name and classify the berries in
Figure 1. Which berries would you eat?

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. How would you explain a classification key to someone? Write three
or four sentences that explain what a classification key is, how it is
used, and when it would be a useful tool.
2. Give two reasons why it is important to be able to identify an
organism.
3. Can you name another characteristic of berries that could have been
used in the key?

NEL 2.2 The Key to Classification 23

 2.3 Solve a Problem

How Can Plants be Classified?

LEARNING TIP Problem
To review the steps in A botanist has just moved into your community. Figure 1 shows
problem-solving, see the
some of the plants that she has classified. She wants to classify the
Skills Handbooks section
"Solving a Problem."
local plants and has asked you to help.

Leafy aster Deer fern Western flowering dogwood

Figure 1
Native British Columbia plants

Task
Create an effective classification key to identify five plants based on
their leaves and stems.
Criteria
To be successful, your classification key must
• use external, physical characteristics of the leaves and stems
• provide two choices for each of the characteristics in your key
• be accurate and reliable
24 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL
Plan and Test
1. With a partner, collect a leaf that is attached to a stem from five
different plants. Look for specimens that are already on the
ground.
2. Label each specimen with a name or a number.
3. Select three or four characteristics that you can use to create a
classification key for the five leaves (Figure 2).
4. Create a classification key.

Characteristics
- number of leaves on stem
- position of leaf on stem
- shape of leaf
- vein pattern of leaf
- size of leaf
- colour of leaf
- texture of leaf

Figure 2

Evaluate
5. Explain your classification key to a classmate. Ask for feedback
as to how you could make your key clearer.

Communicate
6. Exchange leaves and keys with a classmate. Ask him or her to
use your classification key to identify your five leaves. Was your
classmate successful?

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. How did feedback from a classmate help you develop a better
classification key?
2. Why are observation skills so important when creating and using a
classification key?

NEL 2.3 Solve a Problem 25

 ScienceWORKS
Healing with Plants
Long before there were doctor’s offices and pharmacies, the
Aboriginal peoples of British Columbia were experts on using
plants to ease pain and treat illnesses.

The Coast Salish peoples, for peoples used the yarrow plant Dr. Nancy Turner (Figure 3) is
example, used the leaves of the (Figure 2) to treat sore muscles. working with Aboriginal Elders
stinging nettle plant (Figure 1) The leaves of the yarrow plant to preserve this knowledge. For
to treat aches and pains. The were used as a mosquito the past 30 years, she has worked
Interior peoples brewed a tea repellent by rubbing them on the closely with Aboriginal Elders in
from the twigs and leaves of skin or tossing them in a fire. The British Columbia to document
the wild lilac plant to ease roots were used to make a tea their knowledge and
rheumatism and arthritis pain that could cure a stomachache. understanding of plants and
and to cure diarrhea. The ecosystems. Dr. Turner considers
Shuswap peoples had a different Today, there are fewer and the Elders to be teachers and
purpose for the wild lilac. When fewer people in Aboriginal friends. Her hope is that their
left boiling, it was an excellent communities who have detailed valuable knowledge will be
insect repellent. The Ulkatcho knowledge of medicinal plants to preserved for the benefit of their
[ul-GAT-cho] (Williams Lake) pass on to younger generations. communities and the world.

Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3

A stinging nettle plant A yarrow plant Dr. Turner is an ethnobotanist—a person
who studies the classification and uses
of plants in different human societies.

26 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 How Scientists Classify
Living Things
2.4

TRY THIS: CLASSIFY LIVING THINGS

Skills Focus: classifying, communicating

How would you classify living things?

1. As a class, brainstorm all the different types of organisms that live
on Earth. Fill the board or a large sheet of paper with the names
of organisms.
2. With a partner or in a small group, classify all the organisms into
five groups. Explain how or why the organisms in each group
belong together.

Scientists use classification to help them understand the diversity of

life on Earth. They look at the characteristics of living things and
then develop questions to ask. For example, they ask whether the
organism is made of one or more cells, how it gets the nutrients and
energy it needs, and how it reproduces. The answers allow scientists
to identify and classify any organism they discover.

One Cell or More

People have always recognized two groups of living things: plants
and animals. However, after the development of magnifying tools,
such as microscopes, scientists discovered new organisms that were
invisible to the naked eye (Figure 1). They also began to study the
internal structures of organisms. With this knowledge, scientists had
a much better picture of how organisms were alike and how they
were different.

Figure 1
Some organisms, such
as Euglena, cannot be
viewed without a
microscope.

NEL 2.4 How Scientists Classify Living Things 27

 LEARNING TIP Using microscopes, scientists discovered that organisms have very
The prefix uni- means different internal structures. One important difference is whether an
"one" or "single." The organism is a single cell or is made of more than one cell. As you
prefix multi- means "more
learned in Chapter 1, cells are the basic unit of life—the building
than one." Think of other
words you know that use
blocks that make up all organisms. Scientists discovered that some
these prefixes. organisms have a very simple structure. Their entire body is just one
cell big. They are unicellular [YOO-nee-SELL-yur-luhr], or made
up of one cell (Figure 2).

Figure 2
Chlamydomonas is a unicellular
green alga.

Other organisms are more complex. They are multicellular

[MULL-tee-SELL-yur-luhr], or have more than one cell in their
bodies (Figure 3). In fact, most of these organisms are made up of
trillions of cells. Multicellular organisms have different types of cells
that perform different functions. Human beings, for example, have
bone cells, skin cells, blood cells, and many other types of cells. Each
type of cell has its own structure and specific purpose. All the cells of
an organism work together to ensure that the organism can perform
the functions it needs to survive.

Figure 3
Volvox is a multicellular green alga
that is made of thousands of cells.

28 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

Plant and Animal Cells
There are many different types of cells. Cells have different sizes,
shapes, and functions. Let’s look at some of the features of a typical
plant and animal cell (Figure 4).

Plant cell Nucleus Animal cell

Cytoplasm

Cell wall

Vacuole
Chloroplast Figure 4
Cell membrane A plant cell and an animal cell

Both plant and animal cells have a cell membrane. The

membrane is a thin covering around the entire cell. It encloses the
cell’s contents. It acts like a gatekeeper by allowing useful materials
to move into the cell and waste to move out.
The innermost part of a cell is the nucleus [NOO-klee-us]. The LEARNING TIP
nucleus acts as the control centre of the cell. It directs all of the cell’s Look at each of the
activities, such as movement and growth. highlighted words on the
page. To help remember
Much of a plant or animal cell is filled with a thick liquid called what they mean, find each
cytoplasm [SIGH-tuh-pla-zum]. The cytoplasm is where the work word in the diagram. Then
read the paragraph that
of the cell is carried out, as directed by the nucleus. Within the describes the term. Now
cytoplasm are bubble-like vacuoles [VAK-yoo-ole]. Vacuoles store try to define each term
water and nutrients. using your own words.

Important differences exist between plant and animal cells. Unlike

animal cells, plant cells are enclosed by a cell wall. The cell wall helps to
protect the cell and provides support for the plant. Plant cells also
contain chloroplasts [KLOR-uh-plahst], which are the parts of the
cell that contain chlorophyll [KLOR-uh-fill]. Chlorophyll gives
plants their green colour.

TRY THIS: MAKE MODELS OF CELLS

Skills Focus: communicating

Use modelling clay to make a model of a plant cell and a model of an animal
cell. Include all of the parts of a cell that were described in this section.

NEL 2.4 How Scientists Classify Living Things 29

 The Five-Kingdom Model
of Living Things
As scientists learned more about the internal and external
structures of organisms, they discovered that some organisms were
like both plants and animals. Others didn’t have the characteristics
of either plants or animals. Modern scientists realized that there
were at least five categories of living things, which they called
kingdoms. Figure 5 shows the five kingdoms of life. Each
kingdom has important characteristics that all of its members
have in common.

Kingdom Animalia
• multicellular
• feed off living things

Kingdom Fungi Kingdom Plantae

• mostly multicellular • multicellular
• feed off living things • make their own food by
photosynthesis

Kingdom Protista
• mostly unicellular, some
multicellular
• more complex cell
structure than Monera

Kingdom Monera
• unicellular
• most basic cell structure
• does not have a true nucleus

Figure 5
The five kingdoms of life

30 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

An International Classification System
Classifying organisms by kingdom is a good beginning. But there
are many organisms in each kingdom. For example, there are over
one million different types of organisms in the Animal kingdom.
Scientists need a way to classify organisms into smaller, more
manageable groups. They also need a common way of identifying
and naming organisms so that they can describe, compare, and
communicate their knowledge about different organisms.
Today, scientists around the world use a single scientific
classification system for naming and classifying all organisms.
This system was created, in 1735, by Carolus Linnaeus (Figure 6).
Linnaeus was a Swedish scientist who was very curious about all of
the living things he observed. He was the first scientist to divide
living things into groups called kingdoms, although he proposed
only two kingdoms: plants and animals.

Figure 6
Carolus Linnaeus developed
a classification system to
organize living things.

Linnaeus proposed that each kingdom could be further classified

into a series of smaller categories. His system of classification has
seven categories in total. After kingdom comes phylum [FI-luhm],
class, order, family, genus [JEE-nuhs], and finally the category of
species. Organisms that belong to the same species are capable of
breeding together and having offspring that can also reproduce.
NEL 2.4 How Scientists Classify Living Things 31
 LEARNING TIP Figure 7 shows how the seven-category system works. Follow the
When you read a diagram, mountain lion, shown on the far right of the diagram, down through
make sure to read the the levels. The mountain lion is a different species than the tiger,
caption for help in
even though they are in the same family. So a mountain lion could
understanding what the
diagram shows. In Figure 7,
not reproduce with a tiger.
read each sentence in the
caption and check that
you can see how the
information is shown
in the diagram.
Kingdom Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Mammalia

Order Carnivora

Family Felidae

Genus Felis

Species concolor
Figure 7
The mountain lion is a multicellular organism that gets its food from other living things,
so it is a member of Kingdom Animalia. It has a backbone, so it is in the phylum
Chordata. It is a mammal, so it belongs in class Mammalia. It feeds on meat, so it is in
the order Carnivora. It is a cat, so it is a member of the family Felidae. It is placed in the
genus Felis, along with the house cats we keep as pets. Finally, it is a member of the
species concolor, a mountain lion.

32 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

A System of Naming LEARNING TIP
Linnaeus also developed a two-part system for naming organisms. Linnaeus used Latin for his
This naming system made it easier for scientists around the world to classification system. Latin
communicate about the same organism. In this system, every is a language that was
organism has two Latin names. Just as you have a first and last name, used by educated people
in Europe in Linnaeus’
each organism has a first name, called the genus name, and a last
time. Even though Latin is
name, called the species name. The two-part Latin name for the no longer spoken today,
mountain lion shown in Figure 7 is Felis concolor. The two-part Latin scientists around the
name for humans is Homo sapiens. world still use it as a
common language for
naming organisms.
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
1. Are you multicellular or unicellular? Refer to the five-kingdom
classification system to explain your answer.
2. Copy the following table into your notebook. Complete the table
using information from this section.

2. Structures in Cells

Cell part Found in plant or Function

animal cells, or both

cell membrane

cell wall

nucleus

cytoplasm

vacuoles

chloroplasts

3. Explain why scientists need at least five kingdoms to group living things.
4. Use what you’ve learned to classify each of the following organisms
into one of the five kingdoms.
(a) This organism has four sharp claws so that it can climb trees and
capture its prey.
(b) This organism is smaller than the tip of a pin, but its cells can do
everything it needs to stay alive.
(c) This organism cannot move around by itself, but it can make its
own food.
(d) This organism attaches to and feeds off other organisms.
(e) This organism is only one cell, but it is just as important as other
living things.
5. A coyote’s two-part name is Canis latrans. A dog’s name is Canis
familiaris. Are these two animals closely related? Explain your thinking.

NEL 2.4 How Scientists Classify Living Things 33

 A Closer Look at the
2.5 Animal Kingdom

TRY THIS: LOOK AT DIFFERENT ANIMALS

Skills Focus: observing, inferring, classifying

The Animal kingdom is made up of many different organisms. For

example, both a spider and an ant belong to the Animal kingdom. Work
with a partner to make two specimen boxes that you can use to observe
these small animals. Using a hand trowel or a spoon, carefully lift a spider
into one of your boxes and an ant into the other. Observe the spider and
the ant. When you have finished observing them, gently place them back
where you found them.
1. How are these two animals the same? How are they different?
2. Compare the ant and the spider with another animal, such as a dog
or a cat. What are some of the similarities and differences? Why do
you think all these organisms belong in the Animal kingdom?

There are more than one million different species in the Animal
kingdom. All animals are multicellular organisms that get their
nutrients and energy by eating other organisms. But animals come
in a great variety of forms, from spiders to sparrows to sponges
(Figure 1). To better understand the diversity of animal life,
scientists classify animals into groups based on their internal and
external structures.

Figure 1
Although they may look like plants, sponges are simple animals.

34 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

Vertebrates and Invertebrates LEARNING TIP
Scientists divide all the organisms in the Animal kingdom into Check your understanding
two main groups: vertebrates (animals with backbones) and of vertebrates and
invertebrates (animals without backbones). Vertebrates include invertebrates by describing
birds, fish, and mammals. Invertebrates include insects, worms, the difference in your
own words.
squids, sponges, sea anemones, and crabs. Vertebrates are the animals
that you’re most familiar with, but invertebrates are much more
common. Scientists estimate that invertebrates make up more than
95% of all animal species. One group of invertebrates—arthropods—
includes all the world’s insects, shellfish, and spiders. Figure 2 shows
some of the groups that make up the Animal kingdom.

Animal kingdom
Echinoderms

Arthropods

Chordates
Annelids

Mollusks

Figure 2
All vertebrates belong to the Chordate group.

Classes of Vertebrates
Scientists divide the vertebrates into classes, based on the internal
and external structures they share. There are five main classes of
vertebrates: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and
mammals. Each class is defined in Table 1 on page 36. You are
probably familiar with many of the animals in these classes.

NEL 2.5 A Closer Look at the Animal Kingdom 35

 Table 1 The Characteristics of Vertebrates

Class Examples Characteristics

Fish salmon, • live only in water
whale shark, • breathe through gills
ray, seahorse
• use fins to move
• lay eggs or give birth to live young
• body temperature changes with the
environment

Amphibians frog, toad, • young live in water and breathe through gills
salamander • adults live mainly on land and breathe with lungs
• lay eggs in water
• young change form as they grow, for example,
growing legs
• body temperature changes with the environment

Reptiles crocodile, • some live on land; some live in water

alligator, • breathe through lungs
lizard,
• most have claws that can be used to dig or climb
snake,
turtle • many lay soft, leathery eggs on land
• body temperature changes with the
environment

Birds eagle, • breathe through lungs

parrot, • have wings, feathers, and hollow bones
cardinal,
• most can fly
chicken,
penguin, • lay eggs in a protective shell
puffin • hatchlings are cared for by parents
• maintain a constant body temperature

Mammals dolphin, bat, • most live on land, some live in water

mouse, • breathe through lungs
kangaroo,
• most have hair or fur covering their bodies
lemur,
human • most give birth to live babies
• mother produces milk to feed her babies
• maintain a constant body temperature

36 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
1. Explain why a spider is considered a member of the Animal kingdom.
2. What characteristic can you use to separate all animals into two groups?
3. Look at Figure 3. How can you tell that this animal is not a
vertebrate?

Figure 3
An earthworm

4. Use Table 1 as a guide to help you identify which class of vertebrates

an organism would belong to if it had the following characteristics:
• breathes through lungs and lays eggs that have a shell
• lives in the water and breathes through lungs (Figure 4)
• lives on land and lays eggs in water
• has a constant body temperature and gives birth to live babies

Figure 4

NEL 2.5 A Closer Look at the Animal Kingdom 37

 A Closer Look at the
2.6 Plant Kingdom
The plant kingdom contains about 300 000 different species. Plants
provide the food that all other living things depend on to survive
(Figure 1). Plants also provide the oxygen we breathe. Plants are found
everywhere on Earth, including in water, in soil, and even on rocks.
Like animals, plants are multicellular organisms. But unlike
animals, plants make their own food. Plants use energy from the Sun
Figure 1
Grass and other plants provide food
to turn carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil into
for bison and other living things. food for themselves. They also produce oxygen, which other
organisms breathe. Through this process, called photosynthesis,
plants grow and become food for other living things (Figure 2).
Plants differ from animals in another important way. They are
made of plant cells, as you learned earlier in this chapter. Plant cells
have a cell wall, which helps to protect the cell and to support the
plant. Plant cells also contain chlorophyll, which gives plants their
green colour. Plants, unlike most animals, are also stationary and
are attached to a surface, like soil.

Sun
Oxygen
Sun’s
energy

Food
produced
in leaf
Carbon
dioxide

Water

Figure 2
Plants produce their own food and oxygen using energy from sunlight, carbon dioxide
from the air, and water from the soil.

38 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

Classifying Plants
To classify the thousands of different species of plants, scientists ask
three important questions:
• Does it have roots, a stem, and leaves?
• Does it have tube-like structures inside it to help it
transport water?
• Does it produce flowers or cones?
On the basis of these three questions, scientists classify plants into
four main groups: mosses, hornworts, and liverworts (Figure 3);
ferns and their relatives; conifers (Figure 4); and flowering plants.
You are probably most familiar with flowering plants, ferns, and
conifers. These three groups of plants have stems, leaves, and roots
through which they transport food and water. They also have tubes
inside that allow water and food to travel throughout the plant.

Figure 3 Figure 4
Liverworts can be found growing on the Conifers, such as pine trees, have cones.
ground, on rocks, or even on other plants.

TRY THIS: WATER TRANSPORT IN PLANTS

Skills Focus: questioning, observing, inferring, communicating

Look at Figure 5. What do you think would

happen if you dipped the bottom of a stalk of
celery into a glass of coloured water? Try it to
find out. For best results, leave the celery in
the coloured water overnight.
1. What did you see?
2. Explain your observations.
Figure 5

NEL 2.6 A Closer Look at the Plant Kingdom 39

 Mosses, hornworts, and liverworts do not have true roots, stems,
or leaves, so they depend on their surrounding environment for
water. Most of these plants live where it is moist. They are covered in
leaf-like structures that allow the plants to absorb the water they
require directly into their cells.

TRY THIS: LOOK AT PLANT CHARACTERISTICS

Skills Focus: observing, inferring

Look at a piece of moss and a dandelion plant. Lay the two plants next to
each other on your desk so that you can compare them. Use small scissors Handle scissors
and tweezers to carefully open the stem or stalk of each plant. Carefully and tweezers
make a cross-section cut in the root of the dandelion plant. Draw a with extra care.
picture of what you see.
1. What parts of each plant can you identify? Use Figure 6 to help you
label your drawing.
2. What function does each part play? How does it help the plant live?
3. How are the stem and the stalk the same? How are the stem and the
stalk different?
4. How do you think each plant reproduces?

a) b) Spores

Flower

Stem

Leaves
Stalk

Leaf-like
structures

Rhizoids

Root

Root hairs
Figure 6
a) A dandelion plant
b) A piece of moss

40 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

How Plants Reproduce
Plants are commonly divided into three groups, depending on how
they reproduce:
• plants that reproduce with spores
• plants that reproduce with seeds from cones
• plants that reproduce with seeds from flowers
Figure 7
Ferns reproduce by spores. The spores are found on the underside The spores are found under the
of a fern frond (Figure 7). They look like small tufts of soft fluff. leaves of a fern plant.
The spores are scattered by the wind, fall to the ground, and sprout.
Conifers reproduce with cones. The seeds of the plant are inside
these cones. When the cones open, the seeds are scattered by the wind
or by animals.
Flowering plants produce seeds in a flower or a fruit. Flowering
plants include most trees, shrubs, vines, and flowers. Most fruits and
vegetables are also flowering plants.
Look at Figure 8. How do you think the seeds are dispersed? Plants
that produce fruit have seeds inside the fruit. An animal eats the fruit
and scatters the seeds far away. Some plants, such as milkweed, have
seed cases that split open and release the seeds. Some plants produce
seeds that appear to have wings or parachutes. These structures help
the seeds scatter in the wind. Some seeds have tiny hooks that cling to
the fur of animals. The seeds are dispersed as the animals move from
place to place. Figure 8

TRY THIS: LOOK AT HOW SEEDS DISPERSE

Skills Focus: observing, inferring

Think about all the ways that seeds can be dispersed. You may want to
look in books or survey your neighbourhood. Make a chart to summarize
the different methods of seed dispersal. For each method, draw the type
of plant and the seed.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. Discuss why plants are so important to life on Earth.
2. How are plants classified? Into which group would you put the rose?
3. Describe how plants reproduce.

NEL 2.6 A Closer Look at the Plant Kingdom 41

 A Closer Look at the
2.7 Other Kingdoms
Scientists classify the organisms on Earth that are not plants
or animals into three kingdoms of life. These kingdoms are:
Kingdom Monera, Kingdom Protista, and Kingdom Fungi. The
LEARNING TIP organisms in these kingdoms are not as familiar to us as plants
The prefix micro- comes and animals, but they are important to the lives of other living
from Greek and means things, including humans.
“small” or “tiny.” So a
micro-organism is just a Many of the organisms in these kingdoms are so tiny they can
very small living thing. only be seen with a microscope. They are called micro-organisms,
Micro- starts many words
in science and technology,
which means “tiny life.” Micro-organisms can do everything that
such as “microscope,” other organisms can do. They are made of cells, grow and develop,
“microprocessor,” and reproduce, and respond to their environment.
“microwave.” Can you
think of other words that Let’s take a look at some of the organisms and micro-organisms in
start with micro-? the Kingdom Monera, Kingdom Protista, and Kingdom Fungi.

Kingdom Monera
Monerans are the simplest and smallest living things on Earth, but
they are also the most widespread. They are unicellular, and do not
have a true nucleus. Monerans live only in moist environments.
Some Monerans can survive in extremely hot or salty environments,
and some can even survive without oxygen! Monerans may also have
been the first organisms on Earth.
Kingdom Monera includes one of the most important groups of
micro-organisms: bacteria. Bacteria are the most plentiful organisms
on Earth. They are present everywhere. Figure 1 shows the three
different shapes of bacteria.

Figure 1
Bacteria come in three shapes: round, rod, and spiral.

42 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

Kingdom Protista
Organisms in the Kingdom Protista are more complex than
monerans, but most are still only one cell. Protists do, however,
contain a true nucleus. This kingdom also includes the simplest
multicellular organisms.
Some protists, like algae [AL-jee] and diatoms [DI-uh-toms]
(Figure 2) are like plants. They contain chlorophyll and they can
make their own food through photosynthesis.

Figure 2
There are different types of
diatoms. Diatoms make their
own food.

Other protists, like paramecia [PAIR-uh-MEE-see-uh] and

amoebas [uh-MEE-buhs] (Figure 3), are like animals. These
organisms are called protozoa [PRO-tuh-ZO-uh]. They feed on
other organisms.

Figure 3
An amoeba engulfs its food.

NEL 2.7 A Closer Look at the Other Kingdoms 43

 Kingdom Fungi
Kingdom Fungi includes mushrooms, moulds, and yeasts. They can
be unicellular or multicellular. Members of this kingdom are like
plants in certain ways—fungi have a cell wall and are stationary.
However, they do not make their own food, as plants do. Instead,
they grow on or in their food.
Fungi range in size from large
mushrooms and toadstools to micro-
organisms like yeast (Figure 4). Different
types of yeast are found in many natural
habitats. They are common on the leaves
and flowers of plants, both in water and
on land. Yeast can also be found living
on and inside the bodies of many other Figure 4
organisms, including you! Yeast is a unicellular organism.

LEARNING TIP What Do Micro-organisms Do?

It is easier to remember Some people think that micro-organisms are our enemies. Although
information when you some micro-organisms are harmful, most are helpful (Figure 5).
connect it to your own
Life would be very different without them. Micro-organisms are
life. What are some
examples of harmful and everywhere—in the air we breathe, in the soil around us, in the
helpful micro-organisms food we eat, and even in our bodies.
from your life?

Make bread rise Turn milk into yogurt

How
Break down oil from
Make antibiotics micro-organisms
oil spills
to treat infections help us

Digest food inside

Make more than half of your digestive system
the oxygen we breathe

Clean waste from

Figure 5 sewage water

44 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 Unfortunately, not all micro-organisms are helpful. They can
spoil food by covering it in mould. Some bacteria, such as
Escherichia coli (E. coli), can make you very sick. E. coli can live in
meat products and is killed only if the meat is cooked thoroughly.
Other micro-organisms cause diseases such as whooping cough,
tetanus, and malaria. Malaria is caused by a micro-organism from
the Kingdom Protista. This disease is transmitted when an infected
mosquito bites a person.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. Copy the following table into your notebook. Use information from
this section to complete the table.

1. Examples and Characteristics of Micro-organisms

Kingdom Monera Protista Fungi

Example of
micro-organism

Characteristics 1. 1. 1.
of micro-organism

2. 2. 2.

2. If two diatoms were together, would they eat each other?

Why or why not?
3. Why are micro-organisms important in our lives?

NEL 2.7 A Closer Look at the Other Kingdoms 45

 2 Chapter Review
Classifying living things helps us
understand the diversity of life.

Key Idea: People use classification systems to Vocabulary

organize the diversity of living things. classification system p. 19

Key Idea: Living things can be unicellular or Vocabulary

multicellular. unicellular p. 28
multicellular p. 28

Key Idea: Scientists classify organisms into groups Vocabulary

based on internal and external features. cell membrane p. 29
nucleus p. 29
chloroplasts p. 29
chlorophyll p. 29
vertebrates p. 35
invertebrates p. 35
fish p. 35
amphibians p. 35
reptiles p. 35
birds p. 35
mammals p. 35
Plant cell Animal cell micro-organisms p. 42

Key Idea: Scientists classify living things into five Vocabulary

kingdoms: Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, and kingdoms p. 30
Monera.
Animalia p. 30
Plantae p. 30
Fungi p. 30
Kingdom Animalia Kingdom Plantae Kingdom Fungi
Protista p. 30
Monera p. 30
species p. 31
Kingdom Protista Kingdom Monera

46 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

Review Key Ideas and 7. If you were given an organism that looked
Vocabulary like a plant, what characteristics would you
When answering the questions, remember to look for to find out if it was actually a plant?
use the chapter vocabulary. 8. Imagine that you have discovered a new
1. Give two examples of how people use organism. Draw a picture of the organism.
classification systems to help them organize Which kingdom do you think it belongs in?
their knowledge about living things. Explain why.
2. Give an example of an internal structure 9. Explain how each of the seeds in Figure 3
and an example of an external structure that are dispersed.
scientists use to classify organisms.
3. Every organism is either a single cell or
made of more than one cell. What are the
names for these two groups of organisms? Figure 3

4. Name the five kingdoms of living things.

Think Critically
Use What You’ve Learned 10. How can you distinguish between two
5. Look carefully at Figure 1. List three species that look very similar? The two
characteristics that you could use to make owls in Figure 4 are different species. What
a classification key for these organisms. external characteristics might a scientist
have used to decide that they were not the
same species?
Wolf
spider
Black
footed
spider
Jumping spider
Figure 1 (very small)

Strix occidentalis Strix varia

6. Look at the organisms in Figure 2. Explain (spotted owl) (barred owl)
how the organisms are alike. Explain how Figure 4
they are different.
11. Could the five-kingdom classification
system change as scientists discover new
organisms? Explain your thinking.

Reflect on Your Learning

12. What is the most important idea that you
Bracket fungi Bindweed have learned about diversity? Explain why
Figure 2 you think this idea is important.
NEL Chapter 2 Review 47
 •C
H A P TE R • Magnifying tools
3 make the invisible
world visible.

KEY IDEAS
Magnification allows us
to see living things that
are too small to be seen
with the naked eye.

We use magnifying
tools to examine the
physical structures
and behaviours of
living things.

LEARNING TIP If you could shrink yourself to the size of an ant, the world would
Before you begin this look very different. You would be able to observe small things up
chapter, take a quick look close. You would be able to see the compound eyes of a fly, as shown
through, noticing the
in the photo, and many other wonders of nature!
headings and subheadings,
photos, and activities. Even though we can’t shrink to the size of an ant, we have tools,
Predict what you will learn
such as magnifying lenses and microscopes, that help us see tiny
in this chapter.
things up close. Microscopes make the invisible world visible to us.
And what a fascinating world it is! Using different magnifying tools,
scientists have discovered an ever-expanding world of tiny creatures
living in us, on us, and around us.
48 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL
 Discovering Life Up Close 3.1

TRY THIS: LOOK AT A LEAF

Skills Focus: observing, inferring

Make a tracing of a leaf on graph paper. Then examine the leaf carefully.
Add all the details you can see to your tracing. Describe both your
qualitative observations (texture and colour) and quantitative observations
(length of leaf and number of lobes). Now use a magnifying glass to
examine the leaf. Add these details to a section of your drawing. What
details can you see that you were not able to see using just your eyes?

Have you ever noticed that when you look closely at something, such
as a leaf, you see all kinds of details that you don’t see when you look
at the object from far away? But even when you look at something
very closely, there are limits to what you can see. To see more, we
need to magnify, or make the object look larger than it really is.
Magnifying tools allow us to see very small organisms, like those in
the Kingdom Protista and the Kingdom Monera, and also to see
structures, such as cells, in larger organisms.
Look at Figure 1. The children in the photo are using a magnifying
glass to look at objects on a log, just as you used a magnifying glass
to look at a leaf in the Try This activity. A magnifying glass is made
of one lens in a frame with a handle. A lens is a curved piece of glass
that magnifies things so that they appear larger.

Figure 1
Looking through a magnifying
glass makes small objects
appear larger.

The Romans used magnifying glasses almost 2000 years ago, but
different forms of magnifiers were used much earlier. Early magnifiers
were given very interesting names. Their names showed how they were
used. For example, “reading stones” were laid on top of print to
magnify the letters and “flea glasses” were used to study tiny organisms.
NEL 3.1 Discovering Life Up Close 49
 TRY THIS: MAKE A MAGNIFIER
Skills Focus: observing, inferring

Make your own magnifying tool. Place two pencils on a printed

Determining the differences between living and nonliving
page, about 2 cm apart. Put a small piece of clear tape across the things, and between different living things, becomes a little
easier if you can take a closer look at them. The microscope
pencils. Look at the letters through the tape. Then put a drop of allows you to do just that.
Images get larger when viewed through a convex lens.
water on the tape. Look at the letters on the page through the drop Light microscopes use two lenses to make objects appear
larger. Each lens makes the image of the object larger. The
of water (Figure 2). ratio of the
he size of the image to the object’s actual size is
referred to as magnification.
1. Compare what you saw when you looked at the letters through Try this:
s:
Place two pencils on a printed page, at a distance of 2 or 3
only the tape with what you saw through the tape with the drop cm apart. Place a small piece of transparant adhesive tape
across the pencils as shown. Add a drop of water to the tape
and view the page through the water. Describe differences
of water. in the appearance of letters when viewed through a single

2. What does the drop of water do? What can you call the drop
Figure 2
of water?
3. What do you think would have happened if you had used a
bigger drop of water? Try it and see. Which size of drop made
the best magnifier?

The Development of Modern

Microscopes
Using a magnifying glass allowed people to take a closer look at
objects. But it wasn’t until microscopes were developed that people
could see the details in a drop of blood or in a butterfly’s wing. A
microscope is a device that uses a lens or a system of lenses to
greatly magnify the image of an object.
The earliest microscopes were made by Anton van Leeuwenhoek
in the 1660s. Leeuwenhoek was able to grind and polish glass lenses
to magnify objects up to 200 times their real size. Leeuwenhoek’s
microscopes used one lens to magnify objects. This type of microscope
is called a simple microscope. Using his microscopes, Leeuwenhoek
saw what he called “animalcules” in pond water (Figure 3). These
organisms are now known as protozoa and bacteria, which belong to
the Kingdom Protista and the Kingdom Monera.

Figure 3
Leeuwenhoek would have
seen this protozoan, called a
paramecium, when he looked
through his microscopes.

50 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 The microscopes that we use today have two lenses. Two lenses
give much greater magnification than a single lens. Try looking at
this page using two magnifiers. A microscope with two lenses is
called a compound microscope. Another microscope that is used
today is an electron microscope. With an electron microscope,
scientists can see much smaller things (Figure 4).

Figure 4
A flea and a flea’s leg viewed with an electron microscope. An electron microscope is able
to achieve magnification of 1 000 000
. This means that an object will look 1 000 000
times larger than it is.

Microscopes are used in many fields. Scientists use microscopes to

study organisms. Police investigators use microscopic evidence to solve
crimes. Doctors use microscope technology to perform surgeries.
Microbiologists use microscopes to identify germs and diseases.
Microscopes have greatly increased our knowledge of living things.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. How does a drop of water act like a magnifier? LEARNING TIP
2. Why do people continue to work on new technologies for Do not guess when you are
magnifying things? answering questions. Look
back through the section
3. What did Anton van Leeuwenhoek discover with his microscopes?
to find the answers. Even
Do you think he would have made this discovery without a
if you think you know the
microscope? Explain.
answer, it is always a good
4. What is the difference between a compound microscope and the idea to go back and check
simple microscopes that Leeuwenhoek used? the text.
5. List three ways that microscopes are used today.

NEL 3.1 Discovering Life Up Close 51

 Learning How to Use
3.2 a Microscope
The compound microscope uses two lenses—the ocular lens and the
objective lens—to magnify an object. Figure 1 shows the parts of a
microscope and explains what they do.

Ocular lens: This is the lens that you look Coarse-adjustment knob:
through. It is also called the eyepiece. The This is used to move the object
ocular lens usually magnifies the image into focus. It is only used with
produced by the objective lens by 10
. the low-power lens.

Revolving nosepiece: This rotates

so that the objective lenses can be
changed.

Objective lenses: These three lenses are

just above the object, or specimen, that
you view. The low-power lens magnifies
the specimen about four times (4
). The
medium-power lens magnifies by ten Fine-adjustment knob:
times (10
), and the high-power lens This is used only with
magnifies by forty times (40
). the medium-power
and high-power lenses.
It brings the object into
sharp focus. You use
it only after you have
located the object under
Stage: This platform has an opening low magnification using
in it just under the objective lenses. the coarse-adjustment
You place your slide on the stage, with knob.
the object you want to view above the
opening. Clips hold the slide in place.

Diaphragm: This controls the

amount of light that reaches the
object you are viewing.

Light source: You need light

below the object to see it clearly.
Figure 1 Some microscopes use a mirror
The parts of a microscope as the light source.

52 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

Preparing a Slide of Onion Skin
When you want to view an object under a microscope, you place it Cover slip
on a thin rectangular piece of glass called a slide. The object on
the slide is then covered with a thin glass square called a cover slip.
A glass slide and cover slip are shown in Figure 2.
Slide
Preparing a slide takes practice. You must learn how to make a
Figure 2
specimen thin, so that light can shine through the slide. You must
also learn how to place a cover slip over a specimen. Follow these
steps to make a slide of a piece of onion skin.

1. Use tweezers to remove the thin skin,

or membrane, from the inside of a
layer of an onion.

2. Place a small piece of onion skin on a

Be careful when
slide. Try not to trap any air bubbles
handling glass slides
under the skin.
and cover slips. The
edges of the slides
can be rough.

3. Use an eyedropper to place a drop

of water on the onion skin.

4. Hold a cover slip between your thumb

and forefinger. Place the edge of the
cover slip on one side of the skin at a
45° angle. Carefully lower the cover
slip to cover the skin. Gently tap the
slide with the eraser end of a pencil
to remove any air bubbles.

NEL 3.2 Learning How to Use a Microscope 53

 Focusing a Microscope
Every time you look at a slide under a microscope, you need to focus
the microscope twice: once with the coarse-adjustment knob and
once with the fine-adjustment knob. Follow these steps to learn how
to focus, so that you can view an object clearly.

1. Turn the nosepiece so that you are

looking through the low-power
objective lens.

2. For your safety, pick up your slide

by the edges using your thumb and
forefinger. This will also ensure that
nothing touches your specimen.
Place your slide on the stage. Make
sure that the specimen is above the
opening. Move the clips over the
slide to secure it in place.

3. Turn the coarse-adjustment knob

Watch the stage
slowly until the slide is in focus. Be
as you use the
careful that the lens does not touch
coarse-adjustment
the slide. You may need to adjust the
knob so that the
diaphragm to increase or decrease
lens doesn't break
the light. What can you see?
the slide and get
damaged.

54 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 4. Turn the nosepiece to the
medium-power lens.

5. Use the fine-adjustment knob

Never use the
to bring the slide into focus.
coarse-adjustment
How has the image changed?
knob with the
high-power lens
as it can break
the cover slip or
damage the lens.

TRY THIS: TAKE A CLOSER LOOK

Skills Focus: observing

Now that you have learned how to use a microscope, you can take a
closer look at some of the things around you. Prepare slides of salt, chalk
dust, a leaf, and a thin slice of cork, or anything else you think would be
interesting. Look at the slides under a microscope. What do you see?

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. Which part(s) of a microscope perform each job described below?
• holding the slide in place
• magnifying the specimen you are viewing
• turning so that you can use the lens you want
• focusing the specimen
2. Why would you not want air bubbles trapped under or over a
specimen?
3. Why should you not allow the lens to touch the slide?

NEL 3.2 Learning How to Use a Microscope 55

 3.3 Conduct an Investigation

SKILLS MENU
Questioning Observing
Observing Pond Water
Predicting Measuring Many tiny organisms live in pond water. Using a magnifying glass
Hypothesizing Classifying and a microscope, you will see tiny single-celled protists that are
Designing Inferring
Experiments plant-like because they make their own food. You will also see some
Controlling Interpreting single-celled protists that are animal-like because they hunt and
Variables Data
gather other organisms for food. You will also see algae, which look
Creating Communicating
Models like long chains of cells that contain chloroplasts. Algae belong to the
Kingdom Protista. As well, you will see small organisms, such as
water fleas, insect larvae, copepods, and hydra that belong to the
Kingdom Animalia. Figure 1, on the next page, shows some of the
organisms you may see in pond water.
You will see that these organisms move in many ways. Some
micro-organisms, such as Euglena and Volvox, move by whipping a
tail called a flagellum [fluh-JELL-um]. Paramecia are covered with
tiny hairs, called cilia [sill-EE-uh], that wave back and forth to move.
Other pond organisms, such as the hydra, can glide or somersault
along using tentacles. Water fleas appear to hop along.
apron
In this investigation, you will observe organisms in pond water,
using different degrees of magnification. You will also observe the
movements and feeding behavior of these organisms. Use Figure 1 to
identify some of the organisms you see.
pond water magnifying
glass
Question
What organisms can you observe in pond water?
petri dish

eyedropper Materials
• apron • small petri dish
cover slip • pond water in white • eyedropper
container (such as a • microscope
slide margarine container) • slide and cover slip
• magnifying glass • paper towels

microscope Remember to carry the microscope using both hands, and to

adjust the focus and carry the slides carefully.
paper towels

56 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 Paramecium Water flea

Hydra Amoeba Copepod

Mosquito larva Spirogyra

Figure 1

Procedure
Copy the following table in your notebook. Use an eyedropper to pick
1 Record all your observations in your table. 3 up any organisms that you
cannot see clearly and transfer
Observations
the organisms to a small petri
Method of Drawing Description Movement Feeding dish. Put the petri dish on a
observing (naked of organism of structure behaviour
eye, magnifying and name piece of white paper. Use a
glass, microscope) magnifying glass to make your
observations. Record your
observations in your table.
Look at the container of pond water. Draw all
2 the organisms that you see and, if possible, write
their names in your table. Record details about their
structure, movement, and feeding behaviour.

NEL 3.3 Conduct an Investigation 57

 Use the eyedropper to Place the slide on the stage Draw all the organisms
4 place one drop of pond 5 of a microscope. Look for 6 you see and write the
water on the centre of a slide. organisms using the low-power observations in your table.
Touch a cover slip to the slide lens. If you find organisms that
Wipe your slide clean
at a 45° angle. Gently lower
the cover slip, being careful
are too small to see clearly, try
looking at them using the
7 with a paper towel.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 to look
not to trap any air bubbles. medium-power lens. The
for other organisms.
high-power lens is usually
Use only the fine-
not useful for observing Dispose of your slide as
adjustment knob when
you focus the high-
pond water organisms, 8 directed by your teacher.
power lens so you do but you can try it. Wash your hands.
not break the cover slip.

Analyze and Evaluate

1. How many organisms were you able to identify using only your
eyes? Using a magnifying glass? Using the low-power lens of a
microscope? Using the medium-power lens? Did you see any
organisms using the high-power lens?
2. How did the magnifying glass and microscope help you with
your observations?
3. What do you think you would be able to see if you used a more
powerful microscope?

Apply and Extend

4. Medical lab technicians use microscopes to observe blood
samples. Why would a technician need to use a microscope with
a high magnification?
5. Can you think of other jobs for which a microscope would be a
valuable tool? Explain your thinking.
6. How has the microscope increased our understanding of the
diversity of life that exists on Earth?

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. In this investigation, you had to be careful when recording your
observations. How could your conclusions about magnification be
affected if your observations were not accurate and detailed?

58 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 Conduct an Investigation 3.4
SKILLS MENU
Learning about Water Bears Questioning Observing

Canada is home to polar bears, black bears, and grizzly bears. But Predicting Measuring

did you know that it is also home to the “bear” shown in Figure 1? Hypothesizing Classifying
Designing Inferring
The scientific name for these organisms is tardigrades, but scientists Experiments
affectionately call them “water bears.” Controlling Interpreting
Variables Data

Water bears are tiny multicellular organisms that belong to the Creating Communicating
Models
Kingdom Animalia. Their favourite home is a moist environment,
preferably a clump of moss.
They grow to approximately
0.3 mm in length (about the
width of a hair) and move
along on eight legs. These
amazing creatures can
survive in harsh conditions.
They have been found under
apron
ice and in hot springs. In
fact, they have been found
everywhere on our planet
where there is water.
moss water
In this investigation,
you will use a microscope
to study the physical Figure 1
appearance and behaviour A water bear viewed under an electron dish petri dish
of water bears. microscope.
cover slip

Question eyedropper slide

What are the structural and behavioural characteristics of water bears?

Materials
• apron • eyedropper or pipette petroleum
• moss • slide and cover slip jelly

• pond water or rainwater • petroleum jelly

• shallow dish • microscope
• small petri dish microscope

NEL 3.4 Conduct an Investigation 59

 Procedure
LEARNING TIP Obtain some moss from Examine the water in
For a review in using a 1 your teacher. Look at the 5 the petri dish under a
microscope and preparing moss for evidence of living microscope, using the lowest
slides, see Section 3.2,
organisms. Sketch the moss power. You should be able
pages 52–55.
and what you see in it. to see the water bears using
this power. Record your
Place the clump of moss in

Remember to carry
2 a shallow dish. Pour enough
observations.

the microscope
pond water or rainwater into
using both hands. the dish to cover the moss by
Adjust the focus 1 cm. (Do not use tap water.)
and carry the slides
carefully.
3 Let the moss soak
overnight. The next day,
take the moss out of the water.
Pour out the water left in the
shallow dish.
6 Use an eyedropper or
pipette to transfer your
Squeeze the moss over a
4 small petri dish so that
water bears to a microscope
slide for viewing. To avoid
any water in the moss collects crushing your water bears, place
in the petri dish. Shake any a dab of petroleum jelly on the
extra water out of the moss. corners of the cover slip before
Look for evidence of living lowering it onto the slide.
organisms in the water,
and sketch what you see.

7 Look at the slide under the

microscope. Record what
you see.

8 Dispose of the slide as

directed by your teacher.
Wash your hands.

60 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

Analyze and Evaluate
1. When you looked at the moss without magnification, what life
did you observe?
2. When you looked at the petri dish without magnification, what
life did you observe?
3. When you looked at the petri dish using the microscope, what
organisms could you see?
4. Could you see any physical structures of the water bear when
you used the microscope? How do you think these structures
help the water bear survive?
5. What behaviours of the water bear did you observe? How do
you think these behaviours help the water bear survive?
6. What did you learn about water bears by examining them under
the microscope?

Apply and Extend

7. How does your drawing of a water bear compare with the photo
at the beginning of this investigation? Are there differences?
If so, can you explain why?
8. Water bears can survive in very harsh conditions. Why do you
think scientists might study water bears?

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. Why is it important to read and follow the procedure for an
investigation carefully?
2. Identify two steps in this procedure that were important for helping
you see the water bears.

NEL 3.4 Conduct an Investigation 61

 Tech.CONNECT
Microscope Detectives
Forensic scientists find and analyze clues at crime scenes.
Criminals usually leave behind some clues about their
identity that a forensic scientist can detect using
microscopes. Let’s look at some of the microscopic
clues these scientists might examine.

Fibres Fingerprints
Do you think that the fibres of Gather fibres from several No one has exactly the same
one red sweater are the same as different fabric samples. fingerprints as you. You will
the fibres of another red Look at the fibres under a grow older and bigger, but the
sweater? Look at the fibres in microscope. How are they pattern of your prints remains
Figure 1. Do they look the different? Simulate wear by the same throughout your life.
same? A forensic scientist can rubbing each fibre between Each fingerprint has its own
analyze fibres found at a crime your fingers. Look at it again pattern of whorls, arches, and
scene and match them to under the microscope to see loops (Figure 2).
clothing worn by a suspect. if there is any difference. Rip
each fibre into two pieces
Figure 1 and look at the edges. What
A fibre found at a crime scene came do you notice?
from the sweater of one of these
three suspects.
Whorls

Arches

Wool

Cotton
Polyester
Loops
Figure 2
Fingerprints have whorls, arches, or loops.
Most people's fingerprints have loops.

62 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 Forensic scientists carefully Figure 3
examine fingerprints lifted A scientist compares
the fingerprints of
from a crime scene (Figure 3).
the three suspects
They look at the patterns and with the fingerprint
the ridges between the patterns. found at the
scene of
Use a hand-held magnifier to the crime.
examine your own fingerprints.
Look for whorls, arches, and
loops. Compare your
fingerprints with a classmate’s
fingerprints. How are they
similar? How are they different?

Pollen and Spore Analysis

Forensic scientists use Analyzing pollen and Using microscopes to compare
microscopes to analyze pollen spores is not commonly used fibres, identify fingerprints, and
and spores that are found at in Canada. However, because analyze pollen and spores are just
crime scenes. Much like pollen and spores are some of the many things that
fingerprints can be used to everywhere—from dust to soil forensic scientists do. Find out
identify an individual, pollen to hair—the analysis of pollen more about forensic scientists on
grains and spores can be used to and spores may become a widely the Internet. Share what you
identify a specific area, or locale. used tool to solve crimes. learn with your classmates.
Scientists can use pollen and GO
www.science.nelson.com
spore samples to identify where
a crime took place. They can
also compare pollen samples,
taken from a suspect’s clothing
or shoes, with pollen samples
found at a crime scene to link
a suspect to the scene of the
crime (Figure 4).

Figure 4
Pollen samples from the three suspects
can be compared with pollen found at
the crime scene.

NEL Tech.CONNECT 63
 3 Chapter Review
Magnifying tools make the invisible
world visible.

Key Idea: Magnification allows us to see living things that are Vocabulary
too small to be seen with the naked eye. magnify p. 49

Key Idea: We use magnifying tools to examine the physical Vocabulary

structures and behaviours of living things. microscope
p. 50
slide p. 53
cover slip p. 53

64 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

Review Key Ideas and 5. Write a letter to Anton van Leeuwenhoek
Vocabulary explaining how important microscopes are
When answering the questions, remember to to us today.
use the chapter vocabulary. 6. Create a web, using words and pictures, that
1. Why are magnifying tools so useful? shows how microscopes are used today.
2. How do microscopes help scientists
understand the organisms on Earth?
Uses of
microscopes

7. Create a poster or a comic strip that shows

how to use a microscope properly and how
to prepare a specimen on a slide.

Think Critically
8. Today, scientists use scanning tunnelling
microscopes to look at molecules and large
atoms. What kinds of research do you
think scientists use these microscopes for?
What do you think they might discover?
9. How would our understanding of
organisms be different without
magnification?

Use What You’ve Learned Reflect on Your Learning

3. How is a drop of water similar to a 10. Suppose that you could look at anything
magnifying glass or a microscope? you wished up close. What would you
choose? What do you think you would be
4. A thick, syrupy substance called methyl
able to see? How could looking up close
cellulose is often used when preparing a
change the way you normally think about
slide of moving micro-organisms. Why do
the object?
you think a biologist would want to watch
a micro-organism in this syrupy substance?

NEL Chapter 3 Review 65

 H A P TE R •
•C
Living things adapt to
4 their environments.

KEY IDEAS
Many organisms have
structures that help
them adapt to their
environments.

Many organisms have

behaviours that help
them adapt to their
environments.

Environmental changes
threaten some species
with extinction.

If you look closely at a yellow flower, you may discover that you are
also looking at a yellow crab spider. These tiny spiders live on yellow
flowers, where they are invisible both to the birds and wasps that feed
on them, and to the insects they rely on for their own food.
All living things have structures and behaviours that allow them
to meet their needs and to survive in their environment. Like the
crab spider’s yellow colour, these adaptations help an organism live
long enough to reproduce.
In this chapter, you will look at some of the fascinating ways in
which living things are adapted to their environment. You will also
look at what happens to organisms that cannot adapt to changes in
their environment.
66 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL
 Characteristics for Survival 4.1
All organisms have characteristics that help them survive in their
environments. These characteristics are called adaptations. Some
adaptations are structures. For example, some plants have brightly
coloured flowers to attract birds and insects for pollination. Cacti,
which grow in dry areas, have fleshy stems to store water and short
prickly leaves to reduce water loss.
Some adaptations are behaviours that help organisms survive. LEARNING TIP
Behaviours are what organisms do, whether it is swimming, flying, Check that you
or sleeping. Hibernation is an example of a behaviour that helps understand the two types
of adaptations that help
some organisms survive cold winter temperatures. The great variety organisms survive by
of structures and behaviours of organisms is responsible for the explaining them to a
diversity of life on Earth. classmate.

TRY THIS: LOOK AT A HUMAN ADAPTATION

Skills Focus: observing, inferring

Take a look at your thumb. It is called an opposable thumb because it can

touch all the fingers on the same hand. Your thumb makes it possible for
you to do many things that animals without opposable thumbs cannot do.
Have a partner time how long you take to untie one of your shoes, take
it off, put it on again, and tie it again. Record your time. Now tape your
thumb firmly to the rest of your hand so that you cannot use it. Try the
shoe-tying task again. Record how long you take.
1. How useful is having an opposable thumb?
2. Apes, chimpanzees, and other primates (including humans) have
opposable thumbs. How is this adaptation useful for helping these
animals survive?

Feet for Many Purposes

Animals have feet of many sizes and shapes that are perfect
for swimming, perching, climbing, grasping, or walking on
mud. These adaptations have allowed the animals to survive
in their environments. For example, whales and dolphins
have flippers. Ducks and penguins have webbed feet that are
great for swimming and for walking in muddy areas or
snow without sinking. Sea otters also have webbed feet to
help them swim quickly through the water (Figure 1). Figure 1
Sea otters use their feet like paddles.

NEL 4.1 Characteristics for Survival 67

 Some feet have special toes. A heron has long, spread-out toes that
help it stay on top of mud (Figure 2). A thrush has three toes that
face forward and one toe that faces backward. This shape allows the
thrush to perch safely in trees, even while sleeping! A porcupine has
sharp claws on its feet to help it climb.

Figure 2
A heron relies on its feet to keep it
from sinking in mud.

What about feet for speed? One of the fastest creatures on Earth is
the cheetah (Figure 3). How are a cheetah’s feet built for speed?

Figure 3
A cheetah can run at speeds of
110 km an hour.

Some Owl Advantages

Owls are adapted to live in a variety of habitats, from the Arctic to
the dry regions of southern deserts. There are over 140 species of
owls in the world. Owls range in size from the large eagle owl of
Eurasia, which grows up to 70 cm in length, to the northern pygmy
owl, which is no larger than a sparrow. What adaptations make owls
so successful? Let’s look at some of the structural adaptations that
enable owls to survive in so many different habitats.
68 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL
Eyesight
Like most birds, owls have very large eyes (Figure 4). Unlike other
birds, which have one eye on each side of the head, an owl’s eyes are at
the front. Owls cannot move their eyes. They have to turn their heads
to look sideways. Owls can turn their heads almost all the way around
to see what is behind them. This adaptation helps to protect owls from
possible predators sneaking up on them.
Owls can see well in the daylight, but their nighttime vision is
amazing. Most owls are active at night. The pupil in an owl’s eye can
open very wide, allowing the owl to use all the available light. They
can recognize and swoop down on a potential meal in almost
Figure 4
complete darkness. Owls, such as this screech owl,
have very large eyes on the front
Wings, Feet, and Beaks of their heads.
Owls have wide wings, powerful feet, and a strong, hooked beak
(Figure 5). These structures help to make owls very good hunters. Owls
also have fine, fringed feathers on the underside of their wings. These
feathers help to muffle the sound of the air flowing over their wings, so
that owls are almost silent when flying. Consider the advantage that
this adaptation gives owls when hunting! This adaptation is not
present, however, in the few owl species that hunt during the day.
As an owl sneaks up on an animal, it extends its razor-sharp
talons to grip its prey. If the animal is too large to swallow whole,
the owl can easily rip the animal into bite-sized pieces with its
powerful beak.

Figure 5
The barn owl is an excellent
night-time hunter, feeding mostly
on rodents.

NEL 4.1 Characteristics for Survival 69

 Colouring
Many species of owls have colouration that helps them blend in
with their environments. This special colouring is called
camouflage. For example, the head, wings, and back of a
burrowing owl are sandy brown, and its chest is white with large
brown speckles (Figure 6). This colouring provides excellent
camouflage in the dry grassland where the owl lives.
The snowy owl has dappled white colouring—perfect for its snowy
surroundings (Figure 7). Unfortunately, the colour advantage is lost
when summer arrives. As the snow melts in the spring, however, the
Figure 6 snowy owl moves to sit on patches of snow or ice. Scientists are unsure
The burrowing owl blends in with whether the snowy owl does this to camouflage itself or whether it is
its surroundings. just trying to keep cool.

Figure 7
The colouration of the snowy owl provides camouflage in snow.

LEARNING TIP Symbiosis: A Behaviour for Survival

The word "symbiosis" Symbiosis [SIM-by-O-sis] is an example of a behaviour that helps
comes from the Greek and some organisms survive. In symbiosis, two organisms live together
means "living together."
and help each other. Some birds help to keep other animals clean. For
example, the oxpecker feeds on ticks and other insects on a
rhinoceros’ skin. The oxpecker gets food, and the rhinoceros gets rid
of the irritating insects.
70 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL
 Lichens [LIE-kuhns] are organisms that result
from the symbiotic relationship between a fungus
and a green alga (Figure 8). The fungus provides the
alga with water, while the plant-like alga provides the
fungus with food. This relationship allows both the
fungus and the alga to survive in environments where
they wouldn't be able to survive alone. You will learn
more about other survival behaviours in Section 4.3.
Figure 8
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING Lichens survive in a wide variety of
environments including rocks and
1. Describe four adaptations that show why the owl is a successful
tree trunks.
organism.
2. Look at the sketches of feet shown in Figure 9. Describe how the
structure of each foot would be an advantage in a particular
environment.

Thrush foot Goose foot Frog foot Squirrel foot

Figure 9

3. Can you spot the fish in Figure 10? What adaptation has increased its
chances of survival?

Figure 10

4. A cow has billions of micro-organisms in its stomach to help it digest

its food. What is this relationship called? How do the micro-organisms
help the cow? How does the cow help the micro-organisms?

NEL 4.1 Characteristics for Survival 71

 4.2 Conduct an Investigation

SKILLS MENU
Questioning Observing
Examining Bird Beaks
Predicting Measuring Birds have a variety of different sizes and shapes of beaks to help
Hypothesizing Classifying them get food (Figure 1). Some birds use their beaks to crack open
Designing Inferring
Experiments seeds, while other birds spear insects. Still other birds use their beaks
Controlling Interpreting to tear plants from mud. Their beaks can also strain food from the
Variables Data
mud and water. In this investigation, you will examine how bird
Creating Communicating
Models beaks are adapted to obtain different types of food.

Skimmer
Mallard
Nighthawk

Pelican
Grosbeak

Warbler

Crossbill

Avocet
Swan

Great blue
sunflower seeds clothespin
Sandpiper heron Falcon
Figure 1

tongs
Question
How are bird beaks adapted for birds to obtain food from their
environments?
pliers

Materials
• sunflower seeds • needle-nose pliers
• clothespin • jellybeans
jellybeans sprouts • tongs • patch of grass or bean sprouts
72 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL
 Procedure
Copy the following table into your notebook. Record all your
1 observations in your table.

Observations for Investigation 4.2

Tool (beak) Effect on Effect on Effect on

sunflower seed jellybean grass

clothespin

tongs

needle-nose pliers

2 Pick up a sunflower seed

with a clothespin. Apply
force to the seed. Pick up
another sunflower seed with
the tongs and apply force to
the seed. Then pick up a
sunflower seed with the
pliers and apply force.
Record all your observations.
Place a sunflower seed in the jaws of the needle-nose pliers
3 in the two positions shown below. Apply pressure until the
seed splits or is crushed.

NEL 4.2 Conduct an Investigation 73

 Repeat step 3, but this time vary the position of your hand as
4 shown in the photos below.

Try to spear a
5 jellybean with
the clothespin, tongs,
and pliers. Record
your observations in
your table.

Use the
6 clothespin,
tongs, and pliers to
grab and pull out as
many grass shoots or
bean sprouts as
possible. Record
your observations in
your table.

74 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

Analyze and Evaluate
1. Which tool is best for crushing a sunflower seed?
2. What was the best seed position for crushing it in the pliers—
toward the tip or toward the handle? How does this relate to
whether birds that eat seeds have a long beak or a short beak?
3. What was the best hand position for crushing a seed in the
pliers? Birds that eat seeds need to have strong beaks. Which
hand position represents a strong beak?
4. Examine the pictures of bird beaks in Figure 1. Which birds
have beaks that are suitable for crushing seeds?
5. Which tool is best for spearing a jellybean?
6. Examine the pictures of bird beaks in Figure 1. Which bird has
a beak that is adapted for spearing insects?
7. Which tool worked best for grabbing and tearing grass shoots
or bean sprouts? Which birds in Figure 1 have beaks that are
suitable for pulling grass and straining food from mud?
8. What conclusions can you make about the shape of a bird’s
beak and its feeding habits?

Apply and Extend

9. How is a beak that is suitable for spearing insects different from
a beak that is suitable for spearing fish? Look at the bird beaks
in Figure 1. Which birds have beaks suitable for spearing fish?
10. Look at the beaks of the pelican, the falcon, and the skimmer
shown in Figure 1. What do you think each of these birds eat?
Explain your thinking.
11. Look at Figure 2. This bird sucks the nectar from flowers. How
does its beak help with this task?
12. Design a beak that you think would be suitable for picking up
insects. Explain your thinking. Figure 2
A hummingbird
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
1. What conclusions can you make about the shape of a beak and the
size of the food that can be eaten?
2. How did you use your table to help you organize and make sense of
your data for this investigation?

NEL 4.2 Conduct an Investigation 75

 4.3 Surviving in Extreme Conditions

Some organisms have adaptations that enable them to survive Earth’s

LEARNING TIP
most extreme conditions. For example, deep in the oceans, organisms
Connect new information
can survive with little or no sunlight. Other organisms can live in dry
to what you have already
learned. What structures
deserts and in regions of extreme cold. What structures and
and behaviours do you behaviours enable them to survive such harsh conditions?
think would help
organisms to survive in Canada’s Arctic is home to many animals. In the winter, food is
extreme conditions? hard to find and temperatures may drop to
45 °C. Arctic animals
have structures that allow them to survive in the cold. For example,
the seal and the walrus have waterproof fur, the arctic grouse has
fringed toes that act like a snowshoe, and the arctic fox has a thick
white fur coat.
The polar bear has several structures that help it survive the Arctic
cold. The polar bear has small, compact ears and a small tail, as well
as thick fur. These adaptations help to keep it warm. The polar bear’s
white fur also helps camouflage the bear in the snow (Figure 1). This
helps the polar bear sneak up on and hunt seals, as well as escape
human hunters. The polar bear also has behaviours that help it
survive in the winter. In the spring and summer, it eats as much as it
can so that it has a thick layer of blubber when the winter comes. This
blubber acts like insulation to protect the bear from the cold. (You
will look at how insulation works in Unit C.)

Figure 1
A polar bear is well adapted to live in a snowy environment.

76 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 TRY THIS: OBSERVE ADAPTATIONS
Skills Focus: observing, inferring

Look carefully at Figures 2 and 3. How have these animals adapted to winter?

Figure 2 Figure 3
A lynx A snowshoe hare

Migration
Some animals have a behaviour that helps them survive the harsh
winter. They move, or migrate, to a warmer place. This migration
may not be a great distance. For example, the elk moves from the
mountains to spend the winter in the lowlands. Other animals
migrate great distances. For example, the humpback whale migrates
from the Arctic region in the summer to the tropics in the winter.
Other animals that take incredible migration journeys include the
arctic tern and the Canada goose.

Long-Distance Travellers
The winner of the migration marathon is the arctic tern (Figure 4).
This bird travels from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica and back
every year. Why does it make such a long journey? Does it need to fly
this far for food and shelter? Most biologists believe that ancient
relatives of the tern began making the journey when the continents
were much closer together. Over millions of years, as the continents Figure 4
gradually shifted farther apart, the tern adapted to the ever-increasing The arctic tern migrates over
distance of its migration. 35 000 km each year.

NEL 4.3 Surviving in Extreme Conditions 77

 The Canada goose is another long-distance traveller. It flies all the
way to the southern United States and Mexico for the winter. Geese fly
in a V-formation when migrating. Why do you think they fly in this
formation? Think about the way you might shape your body if you
wanted to travel fast. You would try to be streamlined. The lead goose
hits the air with the greatest force. It breaks up the wind so that the
wind flows with less resistance over the rest of the flock. Since the lead
position is very tiring, the geese take turns being in the lead!

Hibernation
Other animals cope with winter by becoming inactive. This behaviour
is called hibernation. Animals hibernate in burrows in the ground,
in tree trunks, and in snow dens. Hibernating animals include
chipmunks (Figure 5), some bats, and ground squirrels. When an
animal hibernates, its body temperature drops and its heartbeat and
breathing slow down. This allows the hibernating animal to use less
energy so that it can live off the fat reserves it stored during the spring
and summer. Some hibernating animals, such as chipmunks, also
store food, such as nuts and seeds, to eat during the winter months.

Figure 5
The chipmunk spends
the entire winter in its
underground burrow. It
wakes up now and then
to eat part of the food it
stored over summer.

Do you think of bears when you think of hibernation? In fact,

bears are not true hibernators. Their body temperature does drop a
few degrees, but they are easily awakened.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. Some people travel south for the winter. Are they migrating?
Why or why not?
2. How does hibernating help an animal cope with the winter?
3. Draw an imaginary animal that would be well adapted to life in
the Arctic. Explain your animal’s adaptations.

78 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 Adapting to City Life 4.4
Organisms have adapted behaviours that help them to survive. Some
animals have even learned how to survive in city environments
(Figure 1).

Figure 1
What animals live in the city?

Today, humans are moving farther and farther into what used
to be wild spaces. Houses, farms, roads, and shopping malls are
replacing the natural habitats of animals. The animals have either
moved to a new location or learned how to live with humans. Many
animals have adapted to life surrounded by concrete, traffic noise,
and a lot of people!

City Dwellers
A city is filled with roads with cars zooming by, tall buildings, and
lots of people. This can be an advantage for some animals. Wherever
there is traffic, buildings, and people, there is heat and food. The
daytime heat becomes trapped between tall buildings and provides
warmth for animals at night. The discarded food in a trash bin
becomes a meal. Figure 2
Birds, such as the house finch,
The most successful city dwellers are birds (Figure 2). Pigeons are have learned to build their nests
so common that in some cities they are considered to be a nuisance. in crevices of downtown buildings
Starlings have also learned to live in cities. and apartment balconies.

NEL 4.4 Adapting to City Life 79

 Many four-legged animals, such as squirrels and raccoons (Figure 3),
have also learned how to live in cities. Raccoons can survive because
they are willing to eat just about anything, from fresh vegetables in
backyard gardens to waste in garbage cans. Rats and mice have also
learned to live on the waste that is so easy to find in urban areas.
Small animals are not the only animals that live in cities. As
cities expand, larger animals find themselves in direct contact with
buildings and people. Seeing a cougar or a black bear in a backyard
is not uncommon in parts of British Columbia.
Coyotes blend into the city so well that many people do not even
know they are there (Figure 4)! Since coyotes are nocturnal, they roam
the streets at night in search of food. Coyotes eat small mammals, such
as rats, as well as eggs, fruit, grains, vegetation, and garbage. All these
foods are easily found in a city!

Figure 3 Figure 4
Backyard compost bins, garbage cans, and Coyotes are omnivores—they eat both
even open back doors provide access to plants and animals.
enough food for raccoons.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. Name three animals that have adapted to live in cities. Describe how
each animal has adapted.
2. What behaviours do pets, such as dogs and cats, learn to help them
live in a home?
3. How can a city provide an advantage for an animal?

80 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

 The Struggle Against Extinction 4.5
The diversity of life on Earth is amazing. Scientists believe that, of the
LEARNING TIP
total number of species that ever existed on Earth, most have died
Check your understanding
out, or have become extinct. Some extinctions are because of extreme
of the term extinction by
environmental changes, such as ice ages and meteorite strikes. Groups describing in your own
of organisms disappear during these mass extinctions and are replaced words what happens
with new species. This is what scientists believe happened to the when an organism
dinosaurs 65 million years ago (Figure 1). Other species become becomes extinct.
extinct because they are not able to adapt to changing environments
or changing food sources.

Figure 1
At the end of the Cretaceous
Period, 65 million years ago, there
was a mass extinction in which half
of all life forms died out, including
all the remaining dinosaurs.

Endangered Organisms
Many plants and animals are in danger of becoming extinct. These
organisms are endangered. In Canada, 72 plant species and 95 animal
species are endangered. Habitat destruction, hunting, and pollution
are the main causes of species becoming endangered.
NEL 4.5 The Struggle Against Extinction 81
 In Canada, we keep track of many organisms that are endangered.
Environment Canada and the Canadian Wildlife Service are two
agencies that help to manage and protect Canada’s vast number of
creatures. These agencies monitor organisms that seem to be
disappearing. They conduct research into wildlife issues and work
with other countries to preserve the world’s diversity.
Let’s look at three endangered species in British Columbia. As you
read about these species, think about how their environment has
been changed and what impact these changes have had.

The Tiger Salamander

The tiger salamander (Figure 2) lives in the often-dry Southern
Okanagan Valley. Its habitat has been changed in two very important
ways. First, fish that feed on the salamander have been introduced
into some of the lakes where the salamander lives. Second, livestock
that live in the area are trampling nearby plant life. This has affected
Figure 2
The adult tiger salamander has
the water quality of the lakes, making it more difficult for the
large blotches of black, brown, salamander eggs to hatch. Both of these changes have affected the
and grey colouring along its body. salamander’s ability to survive.

The Viceroy Butterfly

The Viceroy butterfly (Figure 3) lives in wetlands in southern Canada
Figure 3 and throughout the United States. The Viceroy butterfly looks very
The Viceroy butterfly looks like much like the Monarch butterfly. Mimicry is an adaptation where an
the Monarch butterfly so birds do organism looks like another to help it survive. The Monarch butterfly
not eat it. tastes bitter and birds have learned
not to eat it. Since the Viceroy looks
like the Monarch butterfly, birds do
not eat the Viceroy butterfly either.
The Viceroy butterfly feeds
on the nectar of fruit trees. The
butterfly is endangered in British
Columbia because of the pesticides
that fruit growers are using in their
orchards. The pesticides kill the
Viceroy butterfly along with the
insects that harm the fruit.

82 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

The Vancouver Island Marmot
The Vancouver Island marmot (Figure 4) lives in the mountains of
Vancouver Island. It likes alpine and sub-alpine areas, which have steep
slopes, meadows, and rocky debris at the bases of cliffs. The Vancouver
Island marmot is one of British Columbia’s most endangered species.
There are fewer than 50 left in the wild. The marmot is endangered
because of loss of habitat. Although its habitat is now protected, the
marmot is not reaching the suitable patches of land. Instead, it is
remaining in areas that have been clearcut, where it is an easy target
for predators, such as golden eagles, cougars, and wolves.

Figure 4
The Vancouver Island marmot
is a small animal that lives in
burrows. It eats grasses and
other plants, and it hibernates
during the winter.

TRY THIS: IDENTIFY TRAITS

Skills Focus: predicting, inferring

Look at the information about the three endangered species.

1. Identify a characteristic that has helped one of the species survive
until now.
2. Think of another characteristic that would help this species survive
in its changing environment.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

1. What is an endangered species?
2. Why do some organisms become endangered?
3. Choose one of the endangered animals discussed in the text. What do
you think are some things that can be done to protect this animal?
4. Do you think that humans could become extinct? Explain your answer.

NEL 4.5 The Struggle Against Extinction 83

 4 Chapter Review
Living things adapt to their environments.

Key Idea: Many organisms have structures that help them adapt Vocabulary
to their environments. colouration
p. 70
camouflage
p. 70
mimicry p. 82

Key Idea: Many organisms have behaviours that help them Vocabulary
adapt to their environments. behaviours p. 67
migration p. 77
hibernation
p. 78

Key Idea: Environmental

changes threaten some
species with extinction.

Pesticides are endangering the Viceroy butterfly.

84 Unit A The Diversity of Life NEL

Review Key Ideas and 6. Earthworms live all across Canada in their
Vocabulary underground environment. As they tunnel
When answering the questions, remember to through the soil, they eat decaying
use the chapter vocabulary. organisms in the soil. They breathe directly
through their thin skin. In dry areas,
1. Organisms have adaptations that help
earthworms spend most of their time inside
them survive in their environments.
their burrows. If they didn’t, their moist
Describe how each of the following
bodies would dry out and they would not
adaptations helps the plant survive.
be able to breathe. When it rains,
• Dandelions have long taproots.
earthworms come out of their burrows so
• Arctic lupines have seeds that can wait
they can mate. Explain how earthworms
for centuries before they sprout.
have adapted to their environment.
• Lodge pole pine cones open only when
there is enough heat.
Think Critically
2. Go back to Table 1 in section 2.5 of 7. Sandpipers eat insects. Imagine that there is
Chapter 2, which lists the characteristics a nest of sandpiper chicks and that one of
of vertebrates. For each class, name one the chicks has a beak that is longer than the
characteristic that helps the vertebrates other chicks’ beaks (Figure 1). How would
survive. this affect the chick’s chances of survival?
3. Which of the following are structures,
and which are behaviours?
• waterproof wings
• eating berries
• night vision
• avoiding traps Figure 1
4. Explain why the tiger salamander, the
Viceroy butterfly, and the Vancouver Island 8. List some human activities that may
marmot are endangered species. Are there endanger the living things in your
any common reasons? community. Which activity has the
greatest impact? Explain your choice.
Use What You’ve Learned
5. Caribou migrate across the tundra every Reflect on Your Learning
year. In some areas of the tundra, pipelines 9. Look back at the issues that were discussed
have been built to carry oil. These pipelines in this chapter. Select the issue that is most
are barriers to the annual migration of the interesting to you. Explain why you find this
caribou. Explain how the caribou’s issue interesting. Describe something that
behaviour must adapt to survive. you could do to have an effect on this issue.

NEL Chapter 4 Review 85

 • UN I T •

A Making Connections

Discovering Local Diversity Remember to look closely and use your

In this unit, you have learned about the magnifying glass to see more. Make sure
different forms of life that exist on Earth. that you look everywhere—on the ground,
You have also learned how scientists classify in trees and shrubs, and above you in the
these organisms, based on their similarities. sky. Gently lift rocks and scrape the surface
You have used a microscope to examine of the soil to look underneath. Make sure
organisms that seem to be invisible. As well, that when you are finished, everything has
you have discovered how some organisms have been returned to the way you found it.
evolved special characteristics and behaviours 2. Record as much information as you
that help them survive. can about the organisms you discover.
Make descriptive notes about the
Now it’s time to apply what you have learned.
environment that you find the organisms
In this investigation, you will create an inventory
in and the number of each type of
of the organisms that live in your community.
organism that you find.
Choose two different environments, perhaps a
forested area and a grassy field. 3. Gather samples from each environment.
• Collect water, if present.
Part 1: Conduct a Field Study • Gather plant samples. Be careful to take
1. Carefully inspect each environment, and your samples from debris on the ground.
observe each organism you discover. Do not break them off the plants.

86 Unit A The DIversity of Life NEL

Part 2: Identify Organisms 3. Select one change (such as a drought)
1. Classify the organisms as unicellular or that could affect the organisms in each
multicellular. Then classify the organisms environment. Add another spoke to
into the five kingdoms. Identify any the web for this change, and describe
members of the Animal kingdom as fish, adaptations that would help the organisms
amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, survive if this change occurred.
or insects.
2. Use a magnifying glass and microscope ASSESSMENT
to investigate your samples. Record your Check to make sure that your work provides
evidence that you are able to
observations.
• Water samples: Prepare a slide to CONDUCT A FIELD STUDY
observe the organisms living in the • observe physical features of organisms and
water. Identify the kind and number of their environments
micro-organisms you see. What physical • use magnifying tools appropriately
adaptations, such as a flagellum or cilia, • record accurate information about organisms
do they have that help them survive? and their environments in words and sketches
What behaviours, such as swimming fast • conduct a field study without harming the
or living in groups, do you observe that environment
help them live in their environment?
IDENTIFY ORGANISMS
• Plant samples: Prepare slides of leaf • use magnifying tools appropriately
and stem tissue for each plant. Look
• classify organisms into five kingdoms
closely at the roots. What structures
• distinguish among fish, amphibians, reptiles,
enable the organisms to survive in birds, mammals
their environment? How are they
• use appropriate scientific terminology
able to meet their needs?
ANALYZE ADAPTATIONS
Part 3: Analyze Adaptations
• use magnifying tools appropriately
1. Create a web for each environment that
• identify structures and behaviours that are
you investigated. In the centre, write a
adaptations to the environment
short description or draw a picture of the
• relate adaptations to specific features of an
non-living parts of the environment (for environment
example, a rocky, dry hill without any • communicate clearly
shade). • use appropriate scientific terminology
2. Around the centre, create a spoke for
each organism that you discovered.
Describe how the organism meets its needs
in its environment. Give examples of any
structures and behaviours the organism
has that help it adapt to its environment.

NEL Unit A Making Connections 87