Why do biologists classify dolphins and salmon, which have similar appearances, into different groups?
Why do biologists classify salmon and seahorses, which look very different, into the same group?
Scientific names look very complex, but biologists still prefer to use scientific names instead of common names for communication. Why is that?
What is the relationship between habitats and the characteristics of organisms? Provide an example to illustrate.
Under what circumstances is a streamlined body shape advantageous?
Frogs have webbed toes. Is this an advantage or a disadvantage?
What conditions are required to maintain a streamlined body shape? Under what circumstances might a streamlined shape not be advantageous?
Cactus leaves are needle-shaped. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?
Barnacles attach tightly to rocks by the shore. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this?
Gibbons have very long limbs. What are the advantages of this? Also, estimate the potential accidents that might occur when gibbons swing between trees.
The way biologists classify organisms is different from daily life. What is the purpose of classification in biology?
In daily life, why do we classify organisms? Provide three examples of purposes.
Seals have thick layers of subcutaneous fat. What are the benefits of this? However, this fat layer hinders seals from hunting. Why might this be the case?
Hong Kong is small in area but has high biodiversity. Why might this be?
Why does classification make studying organisms easier? Provide an example to illustrate.
Classification aids in drug testing and discovery. Briefly explain how.
Understanding the evolutionary history of organisms—what is its use? Provide an example to illustrate.
Horses and donkeys look similar, so why are they classified into different species? However, different breeds of dogs are classified as the same species. Why is that?
How does the definition of "breed" in daily life differ from that in biological classification?
Classification is ultimately human-made. In nature, there are organisms that exist between two species. Provide an example to illustrate.
There are too many species on Earth to classify using only the seven hierarchical levels. What additional levels exist?
What are the advantages of using binomial nomenclature and Latin-based words for scientific names?
What are the advantages of using scientific names instead of common names?
The term "Homo sapiens" is not a scientific name. What category of name is it?
Some species have two or more scientific names. Why might this be?
Organisms in the Protista kingdom seem to lack a standardized set of common characteristics. Do you agree? Explain.
Why were there initially only two major categories of organisms (plants and animals)?
Even before Linnaeus invented the biological classification system, people classified organisms. What criteria might they have used?
Why did Linnaeus establish the biological classification system?
The classification system assumes that all organisms on Earth come from a common ancestor. What modern evidence supports this?
Even using genetic material differences as criteria, it is impossible to 100% confirm the relationships between organisms. Do you agree? Explain.
Why was the "domain" level added to the classification system?
How does the evolution of the biological classification system reflect the nature of science?
Which is more ancient, archaea or (true) bacteria? Explain.
Which kingdoms of organisms require a microscope to observe?
Bacteria lack membrane-bound organelles, such as mitochondria and chloroplasts. How do they carry out respiration or photosynthesis?
Compare the cell wall compositions of bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and plants.
Can bacteria move on their own? If so, provide an example.
What nutritional methods do bacteria use?
The cell membranes of archaea differ from those of other organisms. Why might this be important?
Most protists are unicellular. Name some multicellular protists.
Most fungi are saprotrophic. How does saprotrophy work?
Fungi were previously classified as plants. Why? Why are fungi no longer classified as plants?
Most fungi are multicellular. Provide an example of a unicellular fungus.
What are autotrophic organisms?
Besides plants, which other kingdoms might include autotrophic organisms?
How does the movement of plants differ from that of animals?
Why are vascular tissues important to plants?
Algae are no longer classified as plants. Why is that?
Non-vascular plants can only survive in moist and shady environments. Why?
What is the structural difference between rhizoids and true roots?
How are ferns adapted to live in dry environments?
Coniferous trees are adapted to cold environments. What are their adaptive characteristics? Explain.
How do cones differ from fruits?
Seeds contain more nutrients than spores. Why might this characteristic make seed dispersal more advantageous?
Do conifers (e.g., pine trees) produce flowers?
What are the differences between monocots and dicots in flowering plants?
All animals are heterotrophic. What are heterotrophic organisms?
Animals are divided into vertebrates and invertebrates. What are the advantages of a backbone?
Without a rigid structure for support, an organism's mobility is reduced. Vertebrates have internal skeletons, while some invertebrates have external skeletons. Provide some examples.
What challenges do organisms face when transitioning from aquatic to terrestrial life?
To address the problem of water scarcity on land, what three strategies do organisms use?
What methods do animals use to reduce water loss?
Amphibians are not fully adapted to terrestrial life. What characteristics are still not fully adapted?
Are scales an adaptation to terrestrial life? If not, what is their function?
Limbs are an adaptation to terrestrial life. Explain.
How does being warm-blooded help animals adapt to terrestrial life? Explain.
Hair and feathers are not adaptations to large temperature differences, but they are still important adaptations for life on land (compared to in water). Why?
How do hair and feathers prevent heat loss? Under what circumstances might they lose this function?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of being cold-blooded versus warm-blooded for animals?
Why is the larger temperature variation on land a problem for organisms?
Even cold-blooded animals, such as crocodiles, try to maintain a relatively constant body temperature. How do they achieve this?
Sharks do not have swim bladders and cannot adjust buoyancy by regulating air in the swim bladder. How do sharks control their position in the water?
Can a mature frog survive if it is completely submerged underwater? Why?
Can a turtle survive if it is completely submerged underwater? Why?
Snakes have no limbs and their bodies lie close to the ground. What are the advantages of this?
Wings are required for flight, but the wing structures of different organisms vary. List the flying organisms you know.
The wings used for flight may differ in structure, but they share some basic features. What are these features?
Viruses are often considered to exist between living and non-living things. Why is that?
The outer shell of a virus is not made of phospholipids. What is it made of?
Do all existing organisms use DNA as genetic material?
If there are five organisms, the dichotomous key should have five steps (1a/b, 2a/b, 3a/b, 4a/b, and 5a/b).