Algae are members of the protoctista. Although they are photosynthetic, they are not plants. There are three main groups of marine algae, the reds, greens and browns. These groups differ by the extra pigments in the cells that gather light of different wavelengths and pass the energy to chlorophyll.
This phylum is the invertebrate animal group that includes the common earthworm and leech.
This is a part attached to the body of an animal. An example is a leg. Many crustaceans have jointed legs that are adapted for feeding or swimming and so their appendages show a wide variety of structure.
Arthropods are invertebrate animals with several pairs of joined legs. They all have an outer, hard exoskeleton strengthened with chitin which supports their bodies and provides attachment for their muscles. Most arthropods have antennae and compound eyes.
Some living things can produce offspring without needing a partner. They can reproduce without sex.
The group that all flowering plants belong to. They are plants that reproduce with seeds using fruits to disperse them.
Animals may be coloured or shaped so that they are hard for other animals to spot. This may help them escape predators or allow them to prey on other animals.
Canivores are animals that feed on other animals. They are secondary or tertiary consumers.
Organisms on the rocky shore compete for the resources they need for survival such as light, food and places to live. They have special features that help them compete. e.g. some seaweeds have gas-filled bladders so that they can float in the water and compete with other algae for light.
Consumers are organisms that feed on other living things. Consumers that eat plants are called primary consumers or herbivores. Consumers that eat other animals are secondary consumers or carnivores.
Crustaceans are animals with jointed legs, a pair of antennae and an outer hard exoskeleton. The best known marine crustaceans are crabs and lobsters.
These are gas-filled swellings on some brown algae. They hold the fronds up in the water when the tide is in so that the fronds can get sunlight.
Many marine animals have gills. They are specialised gas exchange surfaces designed to bring the animal's blood into close contact with water. Gills have a high surface area for oxygen to diffuse into the blood and for carbon dioxide to move out. Gills are usually inside the body, in which case, the animal has some way of moving water over them.
An animal that feeds on plants and algae. They form the first link in the food chain after the producer. This link is called the primary consumer.
Hermaphrodites are animals whose individuals produce both sperm and egg cells. Every adult therefore has the opportunity to produce offspring.
Large brown algae use a holdfast to hold on to the rocky bottom. This prevents them fro being washed away by waves.
An animal that does not have a backbone.
The marine snails like limpets and periwinkles are all molluscs.
A relationship between two organisms where both benefit in some way.
When part of an organism survives for more than one season.
A chemical reaction in green plants and algae. Carbon dioxide and water are reacted together to produce glucose and oxygen. The energy for the process comes form light.
An animal that preys on another animal. Predators have special features that help them catch their prey and eat them.
Producer
Producers are able to make food using the simple substances water
and carbon dioxide. They produce all the food that other living things
depend on.
A group of plants that include ferns, club-mosses and horsetails. All the plants reproduce using spores and are generally less able to cope with living on land than the flowering plants.
A large classification group of living things (kingdom).
Radula
A hard mouthpart used by molluscs to scrape their food from rocks and
the surface of algae.
Rockpools are left after the tide goes out. The living things in them cannot survive being out of water. Organisms in rockpools have to be adapted to cope with a wide range of temperatures when the sun warms the rockpool up and a range of salt concentrations if the water evaporates or if rain falls on the shore.
Sea water is a mixed salt solution. Salinity is a measurement of its concentration. Sea organisms are adapted to living in salty water and so they can be affected if the salinity changes e.g. by rain falling into a rockpool.
Scavengers are animals that feed on small pieces of food produced as organisms die or are eaten by predators.
The way that a living thing feeds is called its trophic level. Plants all feed in the same way so they are all on the same trophic level. Trophic levels are used to draw food chains and webs. All living things fit into at least one level.
producer --> primary consumer --> secondary consumer --> tertiary consumer
An animal that has a backbone. The vertebrate animal groups are mammals, fish, birds, amphibians and reptiles.
We need vitamin C to produce the protein that makes up a lots of our skin. If we are deficient in the vitamin, skin does not heal or grow properly and we get bleeding e.g. bleeding gums. This is called scurvy.
Plants that live where water is hard to extract from their surroundings or where water loss is a problem. They have adaptations such as waterproof skins, deep roots and leaves that curl up to prevent drying.