Introduction to Ecology:
Ecology is the study of organisms and their environment.
All organisms show interdependence on one another.
Organisms are affected by their environment, and they in turn affect the environment.
Green plants manufacture food by photosynthesis which other organisms obtain directly or indirectly.
Bees are important in pollination i.e. in production of honey Members of the phylum have a notochord in early stages of development. They have visceral clefts – which are slits… Read More »CHARACTERISTICS OF VERTEBRATES
Leaves Type of leaf (a) Compound leaves. (b) Type of venation. Simple leaf Trifoliate Pinnate Type of leaf margin. Type of leaf arrangement on stem. The colour of leaf. The… Read More »FEATURES USED FOR IDENTIFICATION IN PLANTS
Most animals move from place to place in search of food. Major phyla are: Platyhelminthes (Tapeworm). Nematoda (Ascaris). Annelida (Earthworm). Mollusca (Snails). Arthropoda Chordata Phylum Arthropoda Distinguishing Characteristics of Phylum… Read More »KINGDOM ANIMALIA
General Characteristics of Kingdom Plantae They are multicellular and eukaryotic. They are photosynthetic and have pigment chlorophyll. Their cells have cellulose cell walls. They reproduce sexually, others asexually. Kingdom Plantae… Read More »KINGDOM PLANTAE
Multicellular fungi are made of thread-like structures called hyphae (singular hyphae) that form a mycelium. e.g. Saccharomyces cereviseae (bread yeast). Others include Penicillium, Rhizopus, and edible mushroom Economic Importance of… Read More »KINGDOM FUNGI
KINGDOM PROTOCTISTA Examples include; Algae such as spirogyra, Chlamydomonas, euglena, Sargassum And protozoa such as amoeba, paramecium and Trypanosoma. General Characteristics They are said to be eukaryotic since their nucleus… Read More »KINGDOM PROTOCTISTA
General Characteristics Unicellular and microscopic Some single cells ,others colonial Nuclear material not enclosed within nuclear membrane-prokaryotic Have cell wall but not of cellulose. Have few organelles which are not… Read More »KINGDOM MONERA
Classification is the science that puts organisms into distinct groups to make their study easy and systematic. Modern scientific classification is based on structure and functions. Organisms with similar anatomical… Read More »GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF CLASSIFICATION
What is growth? Growth is the irreversible increase in dry mass, size and complexity of an organism brought about by the synthesis of new protoplasm. For growth to be effective,… Read More »GROWTH
CELLULAR (INTERNAL/TISSUE) RESPIRATION The oxidation of glucose in the cell to release energy is known as cellular respiration and it occurs in the mitochondria of all living cells. There are… Read More »CELL PROPERTIES AND FUNCTIONS
AUTOTROPHIC NUTRITION Plants are referred to as autotrophs, i.e. being able to manufacture their food (Organic compound from inorganic materials such as water, carbon dioxide) Autotrophs generally have two modes… Read More »MODE OF NUTRITION AND PLANT NUTRITION
Environment/Nature and State of Matter Living cells are known to be surrounded by a watery environment. This may include: Fresh/salt water in which the unicellular organisms live, Intercellular fluid that… Read More »CELL AND ITS ENVIRONMENT
DEFINITION AND FORMS OF CELLULAR EXISTENCE The cell is the simplest, smallest, basic, structural and functional unit of life. The cell can carry out all life activities such as growth,… Read More »THE CELL: DEFINTION, STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS
MODERN CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING ORGANISMS All organisms cannot be suitably classified as either plants or animals based on CarolusLinneaus classification. Therefore five kingdoms have been generally accepted for all living… Read More »CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING ORGANISMS
THE VERTEBRATES (PHYLUM CHORDATA) All vertebrates have the following features: A bilaterally symmetrical body which is divided into a head, trunk and a tail with a neck joining the head… Read More »CLASSIFICATION OF ANIMALS AND ORGANIZATION OF LIFE
All living organisms can be generally classified as plants or animals. However, plants can be distinguished from animals in the following ways: PLANTS ANIMALS 1. Undergo passive movement. Undergo free… Read More »DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PLANTS AND ANIMALS
Everything in nature can be classified into two groups: living and non -living things. The living things can be distinguished from their nonliving counterparts through the following characteristics observable in… Read More »LIVING THINGS AND NON LIVING THINGS
A microscope is an instrument used in magnifying and viewing organisms smaller than 0.1mm that is too tiny to be seen by the human eyes. A compound light microscope consists… Read More »MICROSCOPE PARTS AND FUNCTIONS
This is a systematic approach used to investigate enquiries arising from any observation made in nature. Therefore, the scientific method is the tool used to unravel the mysteries of life.… Read More »PROCESS OR METHOD OF SCIENCE