SCIENCE 8 (QUARTER 4 – WEEK 4) Prepared by: JOEL D.

RABANAL, Subject Teacher

CONCEPT OF SPECIES
Classifying and Naming Organisms
For organisms to be studied and information about them shared to those who need it, scientists grouped them
into meaningful classifications. The different group are ranked from the largest to the smallest groups. Those
classifications or categories consist of the domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species.
The domain is the largest category into which organisms have been classified. This is followed by the kingdom
category subdivided into various phylum. A phylum consists of different classes, each classes with several orders, an
order with different families. Families consist of several genus and each genus comprise the smallest group of various
species.
A species is a group of similar organisms and capable of reproducing their own kind. This means only members
of the same species can mate and produce fertile offspring.
With the information available about organisms from the early studies to the present, scientists came up with
the three-domain system of classification. Before, organisms were only grouped into eukaryotes and prokaryotes.
Recently, prokaryotes have been divided into two domains, namely: Archaea and Bacteria. The eukaryote group was
retained and now consist the third domain (Eukarya) that includes protest, fungi, plants and animals.

For any organism identified, a Scientific Name is given. In this way, every scientist and other people from
different places would use the same name for the same organism. This ways of naming organisms is referred to as the
Binomial System of Classification.
Archaea Domain: Kingdom Bacteria
Organisms that belong to this kingdom are all microscopic. They live in various places. Methanogens,
Halophiles, and Thermophiles are examples of archaea bacteria.
Bacteria Domain: Kingdom Eubacteria
Members of Eubacteria are unicellular and microscopic. They are referred to as the true bacteria and usually
called the “Bacteria group”.
Protists
Members of the kingdom Protista come from unrelated ancestors. This grouping is referred to by biologists as
an artificial grouping. Protists differ in size, movement and method of obtaining energy.
In terms of method in obtaining energy, protists are classified into three groups. Phototrophs produce their
own food. Heterotrophs feed on other organisms. This group is also divided into a group with no permanent part for
movement, those with cilia, and those with limited movement. Others which are nonmotile and form spores belong to
the sporozoan group. Members of this group are all parasitic. Phototrophs are like plant in that they have chlorophyll.
These groups include the algae, dinoflagellates, and euglenoids. Heterotrophs with no permanent structure for
movement include the radiolarians, foraminiferans, and amoeba.
Fungi
You must have seen the orange colored growth on spoiled corn, the gray to black or white spots on a three-day
old bread left in a warm and humid or moist place. Or the kabuti, that your father gathers from the woods and yeast
used in making bread.
Fungi have no chlorophyll thus, cannot produce their own food. Some are parasites because they survived by
living on a host organism. Others feed on decaying matter and are called saphrophytes.

The Plant Kingdom

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SCIENCE 8 (QUARTER 4 – WEEK 4) Prepared by: JOEL D. RABANAL, Subject Teacher
Plants belong to the Eukaryote group. They are multicellular and because they have chlorophyll, they can
make their own food. Plants consist of two big groups: those which do not have tissues to transport water and food
(nonvascular) and those that have this transport system (vascular).
The Animal Kingdom
Animals differ in size and shape. Others are found in fresh or marine waters and some in every habitat on land.
They reproduce either sexually or asexually. Some get nourishment from other animals, others eat plants, while others
feed on protists. Animals consist of two major groups, the invertebrates and vertebrates. Invertebrates lack backbone
which is present in vertebrates.

Assessment
Multiple Choices: Read and answer the following questions by choosing the letter of the best answer. Use a separate
sheet for your answers.
1. What is the first level of organization?
A. Cell B. Organ C. Organism D. Organ system
2. Humans are mammals because they __________.
A. can reproduce B. cannot give birth C. have toenails and fingernails D. lay eggs
3. A group of similar organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring is____________.
A. Ecology B. Niche C. Population D. Species
4. A bulldog and a poodle look different, but they can interbreed because they are ________.
A. from different species B. products of natural selection
C. from the same species D. proof for evolution
5. Dog are in the kingdom Fungi.
A. True B. False C. Maybe D. None of the above
6. A _____________ is a grouping of species that are similar.
A. binomial nomenclature B. domain C. genus D. kingdom
7. Which series is in the correct order from specific to general?
A. Genus, family, phylum, order B. Species, genus, family, order
C. Species, genus, class, order D. Order, genus, species, family
8. Choose the reasons for using scientific names to classify organism.
A. It is easier than guessing B. Scientific names describe a species
C. Carolus Linnaeus developed it D. It helps to avoid mistakes
9. The binomial nomenclature for humans is Homo sapiens.
A. True B. False C. Maybe D. None of the above
10. Blue-green algae belongs to the _________ kingdom.
A. Monera B. Protist C. Plantae D. Fungi
11. The kingdom that includes insects and sponges is ___________.
A. Eubacteria B. Fungi C. Plantae D. Animalia
12. The organisms Panthera leo and Panthera tigris are the same
A. Cat B. Genus C. Organism D. Species
13. Protista belongs to what domain?
A. Bacteria B. Eukarya C. Archaea D. None of the above
14. The scientific name of any organism consists of its __________.
A. Phylum and class B. Family and order C. Genus and species D. Species and class
15. The branch of biology in which organism are grouped and named.
A. Ecology B. Physiology C. Molecular biology D. Taxonomy