KCSE BIOLOGY NOTES - ATIKA SCHOOL

Binomial Nomenclature

23/3/2023

CLASSIFICATION I:

Binomial Nomenclature

Organisms are known by their local names.
Scientists use scientific names to be able to communicate easily among themselves.
This method of naming uses two names, and is called Binomial nomenclature.
The first name is the name of the genus: (generic name) which starts with a capital letter.

Binomial Nomenclature

The second name is the name of the species (specific name) which starts with a small letter.
The two names are underlined or written in italics.
- Man belongs to the genus Homo, and the species, sapiens.
- The scientific name of man is therefore Homo sapiens.
  - Maize belongs to the genus Zea, and the species mays.
  - The scientific name of maize is Zea mays.

Kingdoms

23/3/2023

Kingdoms

Living organisms are classified into five kingdoms namely;

Monera,
Protoctista,
Fungi,
Plantae
Animalia.

Kingdoms

Kingdom Fungi

Some are unicellular while others are multicellular.
They have no chlorophyll.
Most are saprophytic e.g. yeasts, moulds and mushrooms.
A few are parasitic e.g. Puccinia graminae.

Kingdom Monera (Prokaryota)

These are very small unicellular organisms.
They lack a nuclear membrane
do not have any bound membrane organelles.
Hence the name Prokaryota.
They are mainly bacteria, e.g. Vibrio cholerae.

Kingdom Protoctista

They are unicellular organisms.
Their nucleus and organelles are surrounded by membranes (eukaryotic).
They include algae, slime moulds - fungi-like and protozoa

Kingdom Plantae

They are all multicellular.
They contain chlorophyll and are all autotrophic.
They include; Bryophyta (moss plant), Pteridophyta (ferns) and Spermatophyta (seed bearing plants).

Kingdom Animalia

These are all multicellular and heterotrophic.
Examples are annelida (earthworms), mollusca (snails),athropoda, chordata .
Example of Arthropods are ticks, butterflies.
Members of Chordata are fish, frogs and humans.

External Features of Organisms

In plants we should look for:-

Spore capsule and rhizoids in moss plants.
Sori and fronds in ferns.
Stem, leaves, roots, flowers, fruits and seeds in plants.

In animals, some important features to look for are:

Segmentation, presence of limbs and, number of body parts, presence and number of antennae. These are found in phylum arthropoda:
Visceral clefts, notochord, nerve tube, fur or hair, scales, fins, mammary glands, feathers and wings.
These are found in chordata.

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