Definitions

Classification is a systemic method for studying living organisms by observing their similar and different characteristics.

Introduction

Animals can be classified into two main groups : Vertebrates and invertebrates. Vertebrates have a backbone whereas invertebrates do NOT have a backbone.

Vertebrates

Vertebrates can be further classified into five major groups: mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish.

Invertebrates

Invertebrates can be further classified into two main groups : with jointed legs and WITHOUT jointed legs. The invertebrates with jointed legs have segmented bodies and a hard exoskeleton and are called arthropods.

Introduction

Plants can be divided into two groups : Flowering plants and non flowering plants.

Non flowering plants can be further divided into : mosses, ferns and conifers.

Flowering vs Non flowering

This table summarises the main characteristics of the different plant groups.

Putting it all together

Animals and plants come together under the umbrella of living organisms. This is what their classification systems look like when put together.

What are they?

Dichotomous keys are a series of two-part statements that describe characteristics of organisms. They are expressed as a flowchart or sentences. At each step, the user is given two choices which each lead to two more choices, etc.