SCIENCE GCSE B1

B1 SUMMARY NOTES:

classification, variation and inheritance:

• living things are put into groups according to how closely they are related to one another. the kingdom is the largest group and species the smallest. each species is given a two- part (binomial) name.
• living things have characteristics that enable them to live in their environment. this is called adaptation. 
• members of a species show differences called variation, which can be due to genetics or the environment, and which can be continuous or discontinuous.
• Darwins theory of natural selection explains how living things evolved due to variation and survival of the best adapted.
• alternative forms of genes called alleles are passed from parents to offspring. a dominant allele masks the presence of a recessive allele.
• disorders such as sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis are inherited. Genetic diagrams help us to analyse who in a family is at risk of having the disorder or being a carrier of the affected allele.

Responses to a changing environment:

• the amount of water and glucose in the body and body temperature are kept constant by…