BEST LESSON NOTES FOR PRACTICAL COURSE

1. BIOLOGY PRACTICALS
LESSON NOTES
CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING
ORGANISMS

2. WELLCOME TO THE SUBJECT.
• Hi
• Its my hope that you are fine and ready to
discover new knowledge hidden in the
study of life and living organisms. Under
this lesson you'll acquire knowledge and
skills to apply on classification practical
questions which appears in the national
exams and in our daily life at large.

3. CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING
ORGANISMS
Classification- is the science that deals with
the systematic way of placing organism in
groups (taxa) basing on the similarities
and differences.
The similarity and different features are
includes INTERNAL and EXTERNAL
ANATOMY.

4. • Physiological functions, GENETICAL
make up and evolutionary relationship
(history)
• Taxa are categories that are used to
deferent organisms
• A specific taxa that organisms belong is
called a taxon
• The taxa are normally arranged in
descending order from kingdom to
species.

5. Cont…
• In modern classification, scientist grouped
all living things into five kingdoms as
follows:-
• Kingdom monera
• Kingdom protista
• Kingdom fungi
• Kingdom plantae
• Kingdom animalia

6. KINGDOM ANIMALIA.
• The word animal comes from a Latin word
means HAVING BREATH.
• The kingdom animalia is composed of
animals which vary greatly in structure,
morphology and the way their body
factions.

7. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
OF ANIMAL.
• All animals are multicultural organisms.
• Animal bodies are differentiated into
tissues.
• All animals are heterotrophs.
• They store carbohydrate in form of
glycogen.
• They exercise locomotion.
• All animals are eukaryotic.

8. DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF
ANIMALS.
• The cell of animals have only bounded by
a plasma membrane.
• They have a nervous system that are
capable of detecting changes at the
environment.

9. Cont…
• Animals can be grouped into groups on
their bases of presences or absences of a
notochord.
• Those without notochord are called non-
chordates.
• Those with notochord are called
chordates.

10. Cont…
• A notochord is a supporting rod like
structure running longitudinally along the
dorsal side of the animal and it can persist
throughout of the life or may be replaced
by a back borne.
• The kingdom animalia is categorized into
phyla which includes:-

11. Cont…
• Phylum platyhelminthes.
• Phylum nematoda (aschelminthes).
• Phylum annelida.
• Phylum arthropoda.
• Phylum chordata.

12. PHYLUM
PLATYHELMINTHES.
Platyhelminthes means flat worms, they get their
name from their flat bodies. They inhibit fresh
water, salt water and terrestrial habitats.
Some members are free living while others are
parasitic.
Platyhelminthes has three classes these are
tubelaria, trematoda and cestoda.

13. GENERAL FEATURES.
1. They are bilaterally symmetrical.
2. they have soft epidemic with cilia or covered
with articles.
3. Their bodies are usually dorsal ventrally
flattened.
4. They are triploblastic with no body cavity or
coelom.
5. They have no skeletal, respiratory, and
circulatory system.
6. Their nervous system has a pair of arterial
ganglia or nerve ring.

14. DISTINCTIVE FEATURES.
1. They have soft unsegmented bodies.
2. Their digestive system is incomplete, that
is the digestive cavity has only a single
opening which is a mouth, there is no
anus, except in class cestoda.
3. Their usually hermaphrodites.
Hermaphrodites are organisms with both
male and female sex organs.

15. 1.Class tubelaria.
• Tubelaria are free living flatworm, an
example of tubelaria is planaria.
• Planaria is a noctournal animal that hides
under stones during the day and emerges
at night to feed on small worms,
crustaceans and other dead bodies of
larger organisms.
• It is a carnivore.

16. planaria

17. planaria

18. planaria

19. planaria

20. planaria

21. planaria

22. Distinctive characteristics.
1.They are aquatic living in fresh water.
2.They are outer surface is covered with cilia. This
help them to move in water and glide over the
surface of stones.
3.They have only mouth, no anus. Therefore, the
undigested food leaves the body by the same
opening it enters.
4.They are hermaphrodite but usually undergo
cross fertilization.
5.They can reproduce asexually by spiriting into
two halves each of which will generate into
complete organisms.

23. 2.CLASS TREMATODA.
1. Members of class trematoda are
parasites. examples are blood fluke
(Schistosoma species), and liver fluke
(Fasciola hepatica).
2. The adult fasciola lives in the bile duct of
sheep, goats, cattle, on the gills or skin
of fish and occasionally in humans.
3. Schistosoma are parasites responsible
for causing bilharzias or schistosomiasis.

24. features
1. They are flatted leaf like bodies with simple
digestive tract.
2. Attachment typically involve hooks and
suckers.
3. They reproduce by asexually in the host body.
4. Specialized gland for penetration and
encystment.
5. They have thick cuticles with a spine for
protection.

25. Liver fluke

26. liver fluke

27. liver fluke

28. Blood fluke

29. 3.CLASS CESTODA
• Members of class cestoda are parasites.
examples are tapeworm (Taenia solium)
and (Taenia sagnata).
• These infect humans and pigs.
• Tape worm may grow up to 10 metres
long.

30. FEATURES OF CESTODA
1. They are endoparasites that is they live inside the
host.
2. The outer surface is not covered by cilia.
3. Have one or more suckers which are used for
attachments to host.
4. They lack mouth or gat cavity, they thus absorb
digested food from the host through the cuticle.
5. Their bodies are made up of segments called
proglottids.
6. Each proglottid is capable of producing sexually.
7. For species which infect humans, mature proglottids
detach from the parent and pass through the anus and
can be seen on the pants.

31. Cont…
8.The proglottids have no fixed number and
are of different ages with new ones
towards the head region and older ones
towards the posterior ends.
9.Their life cycle involves two hosts: primary
host and secondary host.

33. tapeworm

34. Tapeworm.

35. n

36. Animation of flatworms
videoplayback.mp4

37. Tapeworm.mp4
Tapeworm.mp4

38. Advantages of platyhelminthes.
1. Some members of the phylum are used
in medical research and research
studies.
2. Used in biological control in other
countries like Indonesia, Philippines and
Hawaii to control giant African snails
which are replace the nature of snail.

39. DISADVATAGES
1. Most of them are endoparasites, they
cause diseases to human and other
animals. e.g tape worm live in digestive
truck of vertebrate of human sheep and
goat.
2. Liver flukes live in bile ducts of the goat
and cow so they damage the liver.

40. PHYLUM NEMATODA
• Nematodes are free living in soil driveling
but there some parasite forms. Nematodes
are circular in cross section and have very
few cells in their structures. For this case
they are called rung worms.
• Example of nematodes are round worm
(Ascaris lumbricoides) and whip worm
(Trichuris trichiura). Both of which are
parasites which infect humans.

41. Cont..
• Thread worm (Enterobius vermicuriis)
which infect cats, dogs and children.
• Filiarial worm (Wuchereria bancrofti) which
cause elephantiasis are other examples of
nematodes.

42. FEATURES OF ROUND WORMS
1. They are unsegemented cylindrical body
with pointed ends.
2. They have cuticle of protein which is
elastic.
3. Have unbrached gut from mounth to
anus.
4. They have no cilia/ flagella.
5. Female is larger and longer than male.
6. Have no circulatory system.

44. Round worm
(Ascaris lumbricoides).

46. Whip worm (trichuris trichiura)

47. ADVANTAGES OF ROUND
WORM
• They are beneficial to agriculture and
environment because they contribute to
soil fertility by cycle the nutrient.
• Used in studies and research purpose.

48. DISADVANTAGES
1. Some round worms are among of the crop damage.
2. The Ascaris lumbricoids are human endoparasites
which cause obstructions in gut.
3. The filarial worm (Wuchereria bancrofti), infect the
human lymphatic system and cause disease known as
elephantiasis/ filariasis.
4. Hookworms can cause diarrhea stomach pain and
anemia. They attach to the intestinal wall with a ring of
hooks.
5. The thread worm (Enterobius vermicularis) are very
small round worm that infect large intestine in huge
numbers that female emerges from the anus to ray
eggs on skin.

49. PHYLUM ANNELIDA
• Annelida means ringed worm. Annelids are worm whose
bodies are made up of ring called segments, which
have fixed number and are all called segments.
• The phylum includes all the true worms living on the sea,
fresh water or moist soil.
• The most common species is the earthworm-Lumbricus
terrestris.
• marine example are calm
worm sea mouse and tube worm afresh water example
is the luch and Hirudo medicinalis.
The phylum comprises the three classes:- class
Oligochaeta, Class Plychaeta and class Hirudinea.

50. CLASS POLYCHAETA
• Polychaeta means many bristles. This
class comprises many marine worms ,
example the rag worm and lungworm.

51. rag worm

53. DISTICNCTIVE FEATURES
1. They have numerous chaetae
which project from the body
wall.
2. They have distinct head.
3. Most are marine inhabitants.

54. CLASS OLIGOCHAETA
• This class comprising earth worm and
some freshwater.

55. Distinctive features
1. They are bilateral symmetric.
2. They have distinct segment.
3. They are bodies have small bristles called
chaetae.
4. They are hermaphrodite.
5. They have hydrostatic skeletal for movement
and support.
6. Have complete digestive track extending entire
body length.
7. Have closed circulatory system.

56. Earth worm.

57. Earth worm.

58. Importance of earthworm.
I. They increase soil fertility when they die and
decompose. This is because they eat fallen leave
which contains important nutrients.
ii. Earthworms are used by fishermen as bait for caching
fishes.
iii. Some communities use them as food.
iv. They also used in schools for learning.
v. The tunnel or barrow that earthworm create help aerate
the soil by increasing the soil’s porosity. This
increases the soil’s moisture content and ability to hold
water.
vi. They are used by researchers to identify the
contaminated soil.

59. CLASS HIRUDINAE
• Class hirudinae comprises leeches,
many are free living while some are
ectoparasite. Hirudinae have the
following characteristics:-
1. They have no chaetae
2. They do not have distinct head.
3. they are usually ectoparasites. The free
living are predators.

60. leeches

61. PHYLUM ARTHROPODA
• Phylum arthropoda comprises a wide
varity of animals which ocupy avariety of
habitant on land, sea and freshwater.

62. DISTINCTIVE FEATURES
1. They have segmented bodies.
2. Have an exoskeleton that is shaded
periodically.
3. Have jointed limbs and appendages for
feeding, locomotion and irritability.
4. They have bilateral symmetric
(can be divided into two).

63. Cont…
• The phylum comprises five classes
which are:-
1. Class crustacean.
2. Class chilopoda
3. Diplopoda.
4. Class insecta.
5. Class arachnida.

64. CLASS CRUSTACEA
• The organisms in this class are covered by
a hard shell known as carapace to their
bodies.

65. features
1. They are mainly found in marline and freshwater
(aquatic living organisms).
2. Their gaseous exchange is by means of gills or
through body membrane.
3. Their bodies are divided into two parts, head and
thorax are fused to form cephalothoraxes and in the
second division is the abdomen.
4. Have pair of compounds eyes each are raised stalk.
5. Have two antennae.
6. Have four pair of mouth parts
7. Have five pair of limbs that are modified for swimming.

68. Lobsters.

69. CLASS CHILOPODA
• Chilopoda is made up of centipede. The
centipedes are mainly found on land.

70. features
1. They have clear defined head, while the rest of the segments are
similar.
2. Have pair of antennae.
3. Have one pair of mouth parts as mandible.
4. Have simple and compounds eyes although some lack of
compound eyes.
5. Have pair of legs in each body segment.
6. They carry out gaseous exchange by means of tracheae of the
trachea system.
7. They feed on insects and worms.
8. They occupies terrestrial habitant.
9. Their bodies are ventrally dorsal flattened.
10. They have one pair of poison claws.

71. The Centipedes

74. CLASS DIPLOPODA.
• Class diplopoda is made up millipedes.
• Millipedes are common in damp places.

75. DISTINCTIVE FEATURES.
1. Millipedes have a clearly defined head.
All the other body segments are basically
similar.
2. They have one pair of antennae.
3. They have one pair of mouth parts,
namely the mandibles.
4. They have simple and compound eyes,
although some lack compound eyes.
5. They feed on plants.

76. Cont..
6.They have two pairs of legs in each body
segment.
7.They carry out gaseous exchange through
the tracheae of the tracheal system.
8.They inhabit terrestrial habitats.
9.They have a cylindrical body.

77. millipedes

81. CLASS INSECTA.
• Insects are the most successful animals on
earth, since they possess an exoskeleton which
reduce the loss of water from the body.
• Insects are the largest group of arthropods.
• They occupy every habitant on earth in such
places as air, soil, and water, but they mainly
inhabit terrestrial habitats.
• Examples of insects are houseflies, butterflies
and bees.

82. DISTINCTIVE FEATURES.
1. Insects have three body parts namely the
head, thorax and abdomen.
2. they have one pair of antennae
3. They have a pair of compounded eyes. In
some cases simple eyes are also present.
4. They have three pair of walking legs per
segment of thorax.
5. Most insects have one or two pair of wings on
the second and/or the third segment of the
thorax. Some insects have no wings.

83. Cont…
6.They breath by means of air holes called
spiracles, and carry out gaseous exchange
through the tracheae of the tracheal system.
7.They undergo complete or incomplete
metamorphosis with a Laval stage.
8.Some insects such as ants are carnivore while
others such as glass hopers are herbivores.
9.They mainly occupy terrestrial habitats.
The following are some fof the insects.

86. ant

87. beetle

89. CLASS ARACHNIDA.
• Arachnida are terrestrial arthropods

90. DITINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS.
1. Arachnids have two body parts, the head
and the thorax are fused to form the
cephalothorax or prosoma.The
abdomen is referred to as opisthosoma.
2. They do not have antennae but have a
pair of pedipalp which they use for
sensory and defense purposes.
3. They do not have mouth parts but they
have one pair of appendages called
chelicerae used for sensing prey.
4. They are connivers.

91. Cont..
5.They carry out gaseous exchange by the
lung book or trachea.
6.They do not have wings.
7.Arachnids inhabit terrestrial habitats.
8.They have simple eyes.
9They have four pairs of walking legs.

95. Advantages of arthropods.
1. Some members aid pollination, for
example bees, butterflies and ladybirds.
2. They are source of food, for example
green grasshoppers, termites crabs and
shrimps.
3. They are used for studies in schools and
universities.

96. Disadvantages of arthropods
1. They cause damage to crops and forestry.
Locusts and some larvae for example feed on
crops.
2. They spread diseases to humans and other
domestic animals. For example, female
anopheles mosquitoes spread malaria, while
tsetse flies spread sleeping sickness.
3. They cause damage to household materials,
for example, cockroaches damage book and
clothes, and termites damage furniture.

97. PHYLUM CHORDATA.
• Chordata refers to animal which posses a
notochord.
• A notochord is a slender rod of cells that
runs along the back at embryo stage of
development.
• Its function is to strengthen and support
the body.

98. Distinctive characteristics
1. They have a notochord in the embryonic stage.
In most chordates, the notochord is replaced
by a vertebral column in the adults.
2. They have bilateral symmetry.
3. The tail is posterior to the anus.
4. They posses a hollow dorsal nerve cord.
5. They have visceral clefts in embryonic stage.
These are perforations on each side of the
pharynx which later become gills in fish and
reduced or modified in other chordates.

99. Cont…
6.The limbs originate from different body
segments.
7. Some members of the phylum chordata have
vertebral column and are therefore referred to
as vertebrates.
8. Some have no vertebral column and are
referred to as invertebrates.
9. Vertebrata is also referred to as craniata
because its members have a skull known as
cranium.

100. MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF
VERTEBRATES
1. Vertebrates have a notochord.
2. They have a well-developed head and
brain with a central nervous system,
which is made up of the brain and spinal
chord.
3. They have bilateral symmetry, that is
their bodies can be divided into equal
halves by only a single plane.
4. Their tail is posterior to anus.

101. Cont…
5. Most vertebrates have fore and hind limbs.
Snakes do not have limbs. They only have
evidence of girdles.
6. Vertebrates have a closed circulatory system.
7. The circulatory system contains respiratory
pigments in which gases are transported.
8. They have an endoskeleton.
9. They occupy terrestrial, aquatic, or both
habitats.

102. CLASSES OF VERTEBRATA.
Vertebrata is composed of five main
classes. These are:-
• Class Pisces
• Class Amphibia
• Class Repteria.
• Class Aves.
• Class Mammalia.

103. CLASS PISCES.
• This class contains fishes. The
fish are further subdivided into
two subclasses, namely
(i). Chondrichthyes
(ii). Osteichthyes.

104. SUB-CLASS CHONDRICHTHYES.
• Chondrichthyes are cartilaginous fish,
example Shark and Dogfish

105. DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS
1. They have a skeleton made up of cartilage.
2. They breath by means of mouth and
operculum.
3. They do not have an external ear.
4. They use paired fleshy pictorial and pelvic fins
for swimming.
5. The tail fin is asymmetric, thus it prevents the
fish from sinking.
6. Their eggs are fertilized internally.
7. They are poikilothermic.
8. Gaseous exchange occurs in the gills.
9. The body is covered with placoid scales.
10. the mouth and two nostrils are centrally
placed.
11. They have no operculum.

106. Dogfish.

107. shark

108. Sub-class osteichthyes.
• Osteichthyes are also known as teleosts.
• Teleosts are bony fish. Example of bony
fishes includes tilapia and herring.

109. Distinctive charavteristics.
1. The skin of teleosts has cycloid scales made up of
bone.
2. They have a bony skeleton.
3. They use their visceral clefts as gill openings. They
breath by means of mouth and operculum cavity
covered by an operculum.
4. They do not have an external ear. But the sound
vibration are picked by lateral line or swimming
bladder.
5. The lateral line also has sensory hairs to detect
changes in water pressure caused by moving objects
such as predators.
6. They are poikilothermic.

110. Cont…
7. The paired pectoral and pelvic fins used for
swimming are supported by bony rays. The tail
fin is symmetrical.
8. The heart of a teleosts has two chambers
namely: the auricle and ventricle.
9. Gaseous exchange occurs through the gills.
10. Fertilization is external.
11. They have four pairs of gills for gaseous
exchange.
12. They have a swimming bladder that is filled
with air to regulate buoyancy.

111. Herring fish.

112. A tilapia fish.

114. Class amphibia.
• Amphibians mainly live on land, but requir
water for breeding. Examples of
amphibians are:-
• Newts,
• Salamanders,
• Toads and
• Frogs.

115. DISTINCTIVE
CHARACTERISTICS.
1. Amphibians have a soft moist skin without scales.
2. They have a bony skeleton.
3. They have two pairs of pentadactyl limbs. A
pentadactyl limb is one which has five digits.
4. The gaseous exchange is by gills in the tadpole and in
the adults it takes place in the lungs, skin and mouth
lining.
5. Amphibians have a middle and an inner ear, but no
external ear.
6. The eggs of amphibians are laid in water and fertilized
externally.

116. Cont…
7. An amphibian has three chambered heart
with two auricles and a ventricle.
8. They are poikilothermic. That means their
body temperature varies with that of the
environment.
9. Their life cycle involves a larval form
called tadpole.

117. Amphibians.

118. Toad and salamander

119. Class reptilia
• Reptiles are mainly terrestrial with the
exception of the turtle which lives in water.
• Examples of reptilians are:-
• Lizards.
• Snakes.
• Crocodiles.
• Tortoise and
• Turtles.

120. DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTIC.
1. Reptiles have dry skin with horny scales.
2. Their skeleton is made up of bones.
3. Most reptiles have pentadactyl limb.
4. Some reptiles have a middle and inner ear. Snakes
have no middle ear.
5. Reptiles do not have an external ear.
6. They use lungs for carrying out gaseous exchange.
7. Their eggs are fertilized internally and laid on land.
8. Some reptiles have a three chambered heart two
auricles and a ventricle. Other have four chambered
heart e.g. crocodile.
9. They are poikilothermic.

122. Crocodile and chameleon.

123. Lizard and tortoise.

124. Snakes.

126. CLASS AVES.
• Aves are birds. There exists a wider
variety of birds. Examples of birds are:-
• Owl.
• Flamingo.
• Eagle and
• Chicken.

127. Distinctive characteristics.
1. The skin of birds is covered with feathers
except the legs which have scales. The
feathers keep the bird warm. They are also
used for flight.
2. A bird’s skeleton is made up of bones. The
bones are hollow and light, thus reduce the
weight of the bird. This enable the bird to fly.
3. They have two pairs of pentadactyl limbs.
4. They have a middle and inner ear, but no
external ear.

128. Cont…
5. they use lungs for gaseous exchange.
6. They have beaks for feeding.
7. They experience internal fertilization.
8. They lay eggs in calcareous shells.
9. Their heart have four chambers; two
auricles and two ventricles.
10. They show parental care.

132. CLASS MAMMALIA.
• Mammals comprises a wider variety of
animals.
• They mostly occupy terrestrial habitats
except a few which occupy aquatic
habitats.
• the aquatic mammals includes seals,
whales and dolphins.
• Example of terrestrial mammals are the
dogs, elephants, cow and lion.

133. DISTINCTIVE
CHARACTERISTICS
1. The skin of mammals is covered by fur or
hair. The skin has sebaceous and sweat
glands for excretion and homeostasis.
2. Mammals have an endoskeleton made up of
bones.
3. They lungs for gaseous exchange.
4. Mammals have two pairs of pentadactyl limbs.
5. They have an external, middle and inner ear.
6. They have four type of teeth for feeding.

134. Cont…
7. Mammals have a muscular diaphragm which separate the
thoracic organs from the abdominal organs.
8. The heart of mammals have four chambers
9. Their brain is well developed, and they are, therefore,
said to be intelligent.
10. They are homoeothermic. Or warm blooded.
11. Internal fertilization occurs in mammals. However, the
spiny ant-eater and duck-billed platypus are mammals
that lay eggs. They are known as monotremes.
12. Some mammals such as kangaroos keep the immature
young in a pouch where it continues to develop. Such
mammals are referred to as marsupials. Mammals
whose embryo develops in the uterus, for example
humans, are said to be viviparous.

138. ADVTAGES OF CHORDATES.
1. Some chordates like fish, chicken and goats
are a source of food. like milk and eggs.
2. Birds are important in pollination and in
biological control of some pests and diseases.
They eat larvae of disease-spreading
organisms.
3. Animal skins are of a great values as they are
used in making shoes, handbags and other
leather products.
4. The skin of sheep is used for production of
wool for making blankets and jackets. Bird
feathers are used for making ornaments.

139. Cont…
5. Wild animals such as giraffes, elephants,
monkeys and lions are a tourist attraction.
6. Some animals are used for transports, for
example camels, donkey and horses.
7. Excreta of some animals like chickens,
goats, pigs and cows is a raw material in
making of biogases. The excreta is also
used as manure in farming.

140. THE END OF TOPIC.
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