Page 65 - General and Inorganic Chemistry for Advanced Secondary Schools Students Book Form Five and Six

Biology for Secondary Schools

species. A species is a group of closely related organisms that can interbreed
freely under natural conditions and produce fertile offspring.

The flow chart in Figure 4.3 shows how kingdom Plantae and kingdom Animalia
are subdivided.
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Kingdom Animalia Kingdom Plantae

Phylum Division

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species

Figure 4.3 Taxonomic ranks of classification

Kingdoms contain different varieties fertile offspring. This is because
of organisms. At kingdom level, of differences in genetic make-up,
organisms share few features in behaviour, and morphological features,
common. As you move down the such as structure of sexual organs.
ranks, each subsequent unit has fewer However, there are a few exceptions
organisms and the members of each to this rule. For example, a horse and
unit have many features in common. a donkey can interbreed to produce
a mule. Mules are usually but not
At the species level, organisms share always infertile. Dogs and wolves can
many features. Members of the same interbreed to produce fertile offspring.
species can interbreed to produce In Table 4.2, a few common organisms
fertile offspring, but organisms from have been classified from kingdom to
different species do not interbreed. If species level.
they interbreed, they do not produce

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