Biodiversity is the variety of living things and the habitats they live in. In SPM Biology you sort organisms, identify them with a key, compare major groups and explain why variety matters.
This hub sits inside the SPM Biology subject guide. Each lesson in this chapter is one step.
How do the parts connect?
The four skills build on each other.
- Classification hierarchies give every organism a place, from broad groups down to species.
- Dichotomous keys use visible features to reach that place.
- Comparing major groups explains why the features differ.
- The importance of biodiversity uses evidence to explain why the variety should be protected.
The order matters. A student who skips step 1 may find step 2 confusing, because the key’s choices rely on the same features.
A short example: one organism, four steps
Take the Malayan tiger, Panthera tigris.
- Classification: it is an animal, a vertebrate and a mammal, in the genus Panthera.
- Key: a question such as “covered in fur?” leads you to mammals.
- Group: mammals have fur and feed their young with milk, unlike birds or reptiles.
- Importance: losing a top predator changes the numbers of the animals below it.
The same animal passes through every lesson, so you can see how the skills link.
Who should start where?
| Your situation | Start with |
|---|---|
| You mix up kingdom, phylum and class | Using classification hierarchies |
| You can name groups but cannot use a key | Constructing and using dichotomous keys |
| You confuse group features | Comparing major organism groups |
| You lose marks on “explain why” | Explaining the importance of biodiversity |
When you finish, test yourself with the biodiversity practice set. Use the biological data interpretation trainer for data questions.
If you want a teacher to guide you through the chapter, see online one-to-one Biology tuition.