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      1. Living beings
      1. Living beings
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      Living beings

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      What do you already know?

      1. There are many different areas of science. With a partner, make a list of as many scientific professions as you can.

      1. a) Study the picture of the scientist. Can you find…

      1 ... two instruments that are used to see very small living beings or very small things?

      2 ... an item that is used to do mathematical calculations?

      3 ... instruments used for samples of liquids? How many are there?

      b) Cover up the picture. Try to remember the seven labelled objects.

      Reading and Listening: An oceanographic expedition

      Maria is a scientific investigator. Read and listen to her interview.

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      Vocabulary

      1. Match the words to their definitions.

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      1 →   2 →   3 →   4 →   5 →   6 →   7 →   8 →   9 →

      What are living beings?
      1. Living beings
      1. Living beings
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      What are living beings?

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      All living beings have two characteristics in common: they are made of cells and they carry out three vital functions.

      The cells image

      All living beings, humans included, are made up of microscopic units called cells.

      Cells are different shapes and sizes. All cells have three parts: a membrane, cytoplasm and genetic material.

      • The cell membrane surrounds the cell. It protects it and keeps the cytoplasm and the other contents of the cell inside.
      • The cytoplasm is a thick liquid found inside the cell membrane. It is home to different organelles, which are the parts of the cell that produce substances, obtain energy...
      • The genetic material controls the cell’s activity.

      –Most living beings have eukaryotic cells (their genetic material is inside an organelle called a nucleus).

      –Bacteria have prokaryotic cells with no nucleus. Their genetic material is in the cytoplasm.

      1. Complete the sentences with the correct word.

      1 The surrounds and protects the cell.

      2 The controls the cell’s activity.

      3 is a gel-like substance within the cell membrane.

      4 The cytoplasm is home to different .

      5 Eukaryotic cells have their genetic material inside a .

      1. What does a eukaryotic cell have that a prokaryotic cell does not?    

      Cells and organisation image

      Unicellular organisms. Some organisms like bacteria, protozoa or yeast are made up of only one cell. Some of them can group together into colonies but they are not organised or coordinated.

      Multicellular organisms. Living beings like plants or animals are made up of lots of cells.

      Some multicellular organisms, such as humans, have various groups of cells organised and coordinated into tissues, organs and systems.

      • Tissues are groups of similar cells specialised in doing a specific activity. These cells work together in teams. For example, muscular tissue is made up of elongated cells called muscular cells.
      • Organs are made up of different tissues. Organs carry out a task. The heart is an organ, made of muscular tissue as well as other different tissues. The heart pumps blood.
      • Systems are made up of different organs that work together. Systems complete a function. For example, the circulatory system contains different organs, one of which is the heart. The circulatory system distributes nutrients and carries waste.

      image

       

      1. In your own words define tissues, organs and systems and explain what they do.

      1. Complete the sentences with the correct word.

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      1 Cells come in different shapes and .

      2 Living beings are made up of .

      3 Living beings can be unicellular or .

      4 Some cells group together to form .

      5 An is made up of various tissues.

      6 A is made up of various organs.

      Living beings
      The vital functions
      1. Living beings
      1. Living beings
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      The vital functions

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      All living beings carry out three vital functions: nutrition, interaction and reproduction.

      The nutrition function

      The nutrition function is the process in which living beings obtain oxygen and the nutrients they need, use substances in their bodies and eliminate waste.

      Obtaining nutrients

      Living beings obtain nutrients in two main ways:

      • Heterotrophic nutrition. Living beings, like animals, obtain nutrients by feeding on other living beings or their remains.
      • Autotrophic nutrition. Living beings, like plants, produce their nutrients from water and carbon dioxide.

      image

      Obtaining oxygen

      All living beings (apart from some bacteria), take in oxygen from the air or water.

      Using substances

      Living beings use nutrients and oxygen to grow and obtain energy.

      Eliminating waste

      When living beings use nutrients and oxygen, they produce waste substances inside their bodies. They expel these harmful substances in several different ways.

      1. Complete the sentences with autotrophic or heterotrophic.

      1 A cow eating grass is an example of nutrition.

      2 A sunflower using nutrients from water and carbon dioxide in the air is an example of nutrition.

      The interaction function

      Through the interaction function, living beings react to changes in their environment.

      • Living beings like animals have sense organs to detect changes, a nervous system to coordinate reactions and a locomotor system to move their bodies.
      • Living beings like plants haven´t got sense organs, a nervous system or a locomotor system. They react to changes in light or water. They do this by growing or modifying their bodies.

      The reproduction function

      Reproduction allows living beings to produce offspring. There are two forms of reproduction: asexual and sexual.

      • Asexual reproduction. Living beings produce new individuals from parts of their body.
      • Sexual reproduction. Two different types of individuals are needed: a male and a female. Each one has different reproductive cells, called gametes. When gametes join together and develop, they produce offspring.

      1. Which organs and systems allow humans to carry out the interaction function?

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      1. What type of reproduction do humans carry out?

      What are living beings?
      The classification of living beings
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      The classification of living beings

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      There are millions of different types of living beings on Earth. They are different from one another in two main aspects: their types of cells, and the organisation of their cells.

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      Scientists take these two main aspects into consideration when they classify living beings. Living beings are classified into five large groups called kingdoms: Monera, Protoctista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia. Let’s look at these five groups.

      Monera

      • These organisms are unicellular with prokaryotic cells (they don’t have a nucleus).
      • Monera includes organisms with autotrophic nutrition and organisms that exhibit heterotrophic nutrition.
      • Bacteria and other similar organisms, such as cyanobacteria, are part of the Monera kingdom.
      1. What are two main aspects scientist use to classify living beings?

      1. Investigate and draw two different bacteria cells.

      Protoctista

      • Protoctists have eukaryotic cells (they have a nucleus).
      • There are unicellular protoctists (protozoa, microscopic algae...) and multicellular protoctists which do not form tissues (large algae, like seaweed).
      • Protozoa have heterotrophic nutrition. Algae have autotrophic nutrition.
      1. What is different about the cells of organisms from the Monera and Protoctista Kingdom?

      1. Look at the organism in the picture.

      image

      a) Describe its cell structure.

      b) Try to classify it.

      c) Do you think it can move?

      Fungi

      • Organisms in the Fungi kingdom have eukaryotic cells. The cell membranes are surrounded by a rigid cell wall.
      • There are unicellular fungi, such as yeast, and multicellular fungi, such as moulds and mushrooms.Fungi cells do not form tissues.
      • They exhibit heterotrophic nutrition. They obtain nutrients from remains of plants and animals.

      1. Work in small groups. Can you think of five uses of yeast, moulds and mushrooms?

      Plantae

      • Plant kingdom organisms are multicellular. They have eukaryotic cells whose membranes are surrounded by a rigid cell wall (different from the one found in fungi cells).
      • Their cells form tissues.
      • They exhibit autotrophic nutrition.
      • Trees, bushes and grasses are examples of plants.

      Animalia

      • Organisms in the animalia kingdom are multicellular. They have eukaryotic cells without a cell wall. Their cells form tissues.
      • They exhibit heterotrophic nutrition.
      1. Which kingdom do these living organisms belong to?

      1 I am multicellular. My cells have a cell wall and always form tissues. I exhibit autotrophic nutrition. →

      2 I am multicellular. My cells haven’t got cell wall and form tissues. I exhibit heterotrophic nutrition. →

      3 I’ve got just one prokaryote cell. →

      4 I can be unicellular or multicellular. I obtain nutrients from plant and animal remains. I exhibit heterotrophic nutrition. →

      The vital functions
      From Kingdom to Species
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      From Kingdom to Species

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      As we have seen, scientists classify living organisms into five large kingdoms. There are still a great variety of organisms in each kingdom. We divide these kingdoms into smaller and smaller groups. Each kingdom is divided into various phyla, each phyla into various classes, each class into various orders, each order into various families, each family into various genera and each genus into various species, which is the smallest group and isn’t usually subdivided.

      A species is a group of very similar living organisms, which can reproduce with each other and have offspring with the same characteristics.

      Let’s look at how the Iberian lynx is categorised into the different groups.

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      1. Making funny sentences can help us to remember groups or lists. Invent a sentence using the first letters of each group as the first letter of each word in the sentence. The letters are: KPCOFGS. E.g. King Philip Can Only Find Green Socks. This helps us to remember Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

      Naming species

      Normally, we know the individuals of a species by a common name, which varies in different parts of the world. Let’s take a look at the species ‘common European cat,’ which includes domestic cats and European wild or mountain cats.

      The common name of this species varies in different languages: in Spanish, gato, in Italian, gatto, in French, chat, in German, katze.

      Scientists, however, use an international system to name species. This system is used by all scientists in the world. It is called binomial nomenclature and it was thought up by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the eighteenth century.

      According to this system, every species has a scientific name made up of two words in Latin or in Ancient Greek:

      • The first word begins with a capital letter and is the name of the genus that the species belongs to. In the case of the cat, the genus is Felis and it shares this genus with similar species.
      • The second word begins with a small letter and is exclusive to the species. For the common European cat, this is silvestris.

      Therefore, the scientific name of the species ‘common European cat’ is Felis silvestris.

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      1. Look at the photographs a-c. Think of some funny English names to replace the Latin ones. Experiment by putting words together. E.g. A seaweed-eating slug. Vote on who has invented the best species name.

      1. Are the sentences True or False? Explain your answers.

      1 Members of different species can reproduce.
       

      2 The classification species is more specific than the classification kingdom.

      1. Imagine and draw a new species. Give your new species funny common and scientific names.
      The classification of living beings
      Discovering living organisms
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      Discovering living organisms

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      Discovering new living organisms is a fun way to learn about the different types of species and habitats that surround you. You can find living organisms everywhere! In your house, in the park, at your school, but perhaps the best place to find a variety of living organisms is on a trip to the countryside or to the beach.

      If you are going on a trip to look for living organisms, there are several things you should take with you:

      • A magnifying glass to observe details on plants and small living organisms.
      • Binoculars to observe living organisms from a distance, so that you don’t have to disturb them or their habitat.
      • Goggles, so that you can observe living organisms under water.
      • A camera to take pictures.
      • A notebook and pen to take notes and write down observations.
      • A guide to identify and classify the plants and living organisms you discover.

      Always remember that, above all else, it is important to respect nature. While discovering new living organisms, move slowly and quietly. Don’t pick flowers or plants out of the ground, or take animals out of their habitat. Try not to pick up or move any rocks or destroy the habitats that small animals live in.

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      1. Imagine that you are in the forest discovering new living organisms.

      1 What do you use to look at details on small plants and flowers?

      2 How do you observe a bird from far away?

      3 What do you use to identify and classify a specific type of beetle?

      From Kingdom to Species
      Magnifying glasses and microscopes
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      Magnifying glasses and microscopes

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      Some of the living organisms that you have learnt about, such as certain unicellular organisms from the Monera, Protoctista and Fungi Kingdoms, are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye.

      Multicellular organisms, like plants and animals, can be seen with the naked eye, but some of their components are very small. Some examples of this include stomata, pollen and all cells.

      In order to observe these organisms, we need instruments with lenses that produce enlarged images. We can use magnifying glasses and microscopes. Depending on the types of lenses they have and how much they magnify a subject, they are classified into different types.

      image

      1. Scientists use different types of magnifying glasses and microscopes depending on what they are observing. Explain which instrument you would use to:

      1 Observe flowers and insects outside.

      2 Observe the pistil of a flower.

      3 Observe unicellular organisms.

      Discovering living organisms
      Apply your skills!
      1. Living beings
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      Apply your skills!

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      Project 1 Living beings

      Choose one of your favourite living beings and investigate it. image

      Find out:

      • Which of the five kingdoms it belongs to.
      • What species it is and its scientific name.
      • How it performs the three vital functions of nutrition, reproduction and interaction.
      • Additional information, such as size and weight and how large the population is.
      • Is it in danger of extinction?

      With the information that you find, design a colourful sharing your knowledge. Include your own drawings and diagrams or printed pictures. Use a variety of different sources to look for information.

      Project 2 Cells

      Cells come in all different shapes and sizes. You are going to make a 3D model of a eukaryotic cell using modelling clay.

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      Step 1 Imagine that the cell is cut in half and you can see the inside of it. This is called a ‘cross section.’ Mold the clay into the shape of the cell.

      Step 2 Mold different colour clay to represent the different components of the cell.

      Step 3 Place the different components of the cell where they need to go.

      Step 4 Use toothpicks and strips of paper to make mini flags. Write the names of the parts of the cell on the paper and attach them to the toothpicks. Stick the toothpicks into the clay.

      Project 3 Microscopic life

      If we look at a drop of water using a microscope, we will discover that we can see lots and lots of different living organisms swimming, feeding and reproducing within that single drop of water.

      The images on this page show two pictures that were taken using a microscope.You can see different types of living organisms in each picture.

      They’re so small that to measure them you need to use a measurement called a ‘micra.’ There are 1,000 ‘micra’ in each millimetre.

      This means that when you look at the pictures, you’re seeing images of living organisms that have been magnified many times. The living organisms appear much larger than they actually are in real life!

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      Now we are going to calculate the actual size of these living organisms. You are going to need to use you maths skills to do these exercises!

      Step 1 Measure the length of the alga that the arrow is pointing to and write it in millimetres. What is the actual length of this organism?

      Step 2 Picture B has been magnified 10,000 times. The red line in picture B represents the length of a “micra.” Choose one of the living organisms pictured and measure it. How long is the living organism you chose to measure in real life?

      Magnifying glasses and microscopes
      Check what you know!
      1. Living beings
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      Check what you know!

      0
      1. Complete the sentences.

      1 All living organisms are made up of .

      2 There are two different types of cells: the cell and the cell.

        eukaryotic prokaryotic cells

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      1. Label the drawing of the eukaryotic cell. How do you know that it is a eukaryotic cell?

      a)    b)   c)
      d)    e)

        organelles nucleus membrane genetic material cytoplasm

        3 attempts
      Done
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      1. Living beings
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      1. Complete the sentences with a word from the box.

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      1 The cell surrounds the cell.

      2 is the thick liquid inside the cell membrane. The contents of the cell are in it.

      3 The produce substances and obtain energy.

      4 The is the control centre of a eukaryotic cell. It contains our genetic material.

        3 attempts
      Done
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      1. We classify living organisms into five different kingdoms. What are the names of these kingdoms?

      1 →

      2 →

      3 →

      4 →

      5 →

        Fungi Animalia Protoctista Monera Plantae

        3 attempts
      Done
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      1. Describe the relationship between cells, tissues, organs and systems.

      1. a) Look at the picture of the sparrow and answer the questions.

      1 What kingdom does it belong to?

      2 How does it interact with its environment?

      3 What type of nutrition function does it exhibit?

      4 What type of reproduction function does it exhibit?

      b) Summarise all of the information above into a paragraph about sparrows.

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      1. Put the following classification groups of living organisms into their correct order. Start with the least specific group and end with the most specific group.

      • 1. Kingdom

      • 2. Species

      • 3. Genus

      • 4. Class

      • 5. Phylum

      • 6. Order

      • 7. Family

        3 attempts
      Done
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      0
      1. True or False?
      • Members of different species reproduce.
      • Correct answer
        Wrong answer
      t15-multimedia

        3 attempts
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      1. Describe how living organisms are organised using the words in the box.

      Apply your skills!
      • I. Introducción
      • 1. What are living beings?
      • 2. The vital functions
      • 3. The classification of living beings
      • 4. From Kingdom to Species
      • 5. Discovering living organisms
      • 6. Magnifying glasses and microscopes
      • 7. Apply your skills!
      • 8. Check what you know!
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