GENERAL BIOLOGY – 4th QUARTER

DATE: APRIL 08, 2022

LET’S DO THIS!

ACTIVITY #1: CONSTRUCTING DICHOTOMOUS KEY

Instructions: Search for colored pictures of these plants belonging to calamansi family (Rutaceae).
Generally, family Rutaceae is composed of trees or shrubs that are often spiny and rarely herbal. The
leaves can be simple or compound, alternately or oppositely arranged, with few to numerous pellucid
glands, and without stipules. In the Philippines, there are 20 genera and 83 species.

Using these fruits below from family Rutaceae, tell your learners to observe the features or
characteristics of each fruit. Place all these characters in a table. Suggest to them possible characters
that they can use like presence/absence of a feature or trait, shape, color etc. Use common names at
the end of each choice.

I. citron
II. key lime
III. pomelo
IV. makrut lime or Mauritius papeda
V. calamondin or calamansi
VI. bitter orange
VII. mandarin orange
VIII. Cochin China Atalantia

Fruits (family Rutaceae)

P
Citron Key lime omelo Makut lime or
Mauritius papeda

Calamondin or Bitter orange Madarin orange Cochin China Atlantia

calamansi

Dichotomous key:
1a. Has a bright yellow color Go to 5
 1b. Has a light yellow-green color Go to 5
2a. Has round to pear-shaped Go to 6
2b. Shape can either be round or oval Go to 6
3a. Small in size Calamansi
3b. Has a thick and rough peel Go to 7
4a Has orange, yellow orange or red orange color Mandarin orange
4b. Has yellow green color Go to 7
5a. The shape is oblong Citron
5b. Also known as Mexican lime Key lime
6a. Also known as Pummelo Pomelo
6b. Has bumpy textured skin Makrut lime or Mauritius papeda
7a. Also know as sour, bigarade or Seville orange Bitter orange
7b. The shape is oblong Cochin China Altantia

QUESTIONS:
1. How did you construct your dichotomous key?
• By identifying the characteristics of the fruits and then categorizing them according to their
shape, color and other characteristics.

2. What trait(s) or what character(s) did you use to separate the fruits into groups? Give an
example to illustrate this.
• I separated them into groups according to their shape, color and other characteristics and I
also included their common names in the choices.

3. Notice the differences among fruits. These differences set them distinct from the others. Cite an
example to show this?
• Their appearances or characteristics such as their colors, shapes, textures, sizes, among others
made them look different from one other. To cite an instance, in terms of color, citron, key lime
and pomelo has a color of yellow but of different shades. Whereas the makrut and calamansi
has green color and the bitter and mandarin orange has an orange color. When referring to the
shapes of these fruits, some of them has round shape and some have oblong shape.

4. What can you conclude based on the dichotomous key that you created?
• In conclusion, these fruits belong to the same family (Rutaceae) but have different
characteristics in terms of their shape, color, size, texture among others. These characteristics
made them distinct from one another.
ACTIVITY #2: CONSTRUCTING A CLADOGRAM

Instructions: Construct a cladogram based on the data provided.

Constructing a
Cladogram
1. Ask learners to
use the data
below to
arrange the
groups of
organisms
based on
their shared
derived traits.
This time you will
be using distantly related organisms or a taxon termed an out group.

2. For each group, the traits or characters are already listed. For each character, determine which
state is ancestral or primitive and which is derived. This is usually done by comparing with the
outgroup. Traits found in the outgroup are likely to be ancestral or primitive. Similarly, traits not
found in the outgroup are considered as derived. In cladistics, it is the derived trait shared
among taxa that should be placed in the cladogram.

Traits Echinoid Asteroid Crinoid Holothuroid Ophiuriod

Water vascular system Ancestral Ancestral Ancestral Ancestral Ancestral
Number of ambulacral grooves Derived Derived Derived Derived Derived
Madreporita Ancestral Ancestral Derived Derived Derived
Suckers Derived Derived Derived Derived Derived
Closed ambulacral grooves Derived Derived Ancestral Derived Derived
Aboral surface reduced Derived Ancestral Ancestral Derived Derived
Ambulacral grooves extended Derived Ancestral Ancestral Derived Ancestral
from oral to aboral
Endoskeleton Derived Derived Ancestral Ancestral Ancestral

3. Group taxa according to their shared derived character(s).

Derived Character(s) Taxa

Number of ambulacral grooves Echinoid, Asteroid, Crinoid, Holothuroid, Ophiuroid
 Suckers Echinoid, Asteroid, Crinoid, Holothuroid, Ophiurod
Closed ambulacral grooves Echinoid, Asteroid, Holothuroid, Ophiuroid
Madreporita Holothuroid, Ophiuroid, Crinoid
Aboral surface reduced Echinoid, Holothuroid, Ophiurpid
Ambulacral grooves extended from oral Echinoid, Holothuroid
to aboral
Endoskeleton Echinoid, Asteroid

4. Once you have evaluated all the characters, you may start constructing your cladogram.

Cladogram:

Note that the outgroup are placed at the base of the cladogram.

Note: Of course, this was just an example of the tree-building process. Phylogenetic trees are generally
based on many more characters and often involve more lineages. For example, biologists reconstructing
relationships between 499 lineages of seed plants began with more than 1,400 molecular characters.

ACTIVITY #3: TAXONOMY

Instructions: Use your knowledge about taxonomy to solve the following problems.
1. An unknown reptile was found by your research team but you have no knowledge if it’s a crocodile or
an alligator. The only thing you could do is to identify the genus and species through physical
appearance. What aspects will you consider? Choose 2 among the choices below and explain why.
a. Number of scales in the tail
b. Snout shape
c. Size
d. Length of the teeth
e. Length of the nails
f. Pupil shape

• I will consider the size and the snout shape in order to determine if the unknown reptile is either a
crocodile or an alligator. In terms of size, an alligator is basically smaller than a crocodile. This means
that if the size of the unknown reptile is bigger, then the genus and species of that reptile might be a
crocodile and if it's smaller than a crocodile, then the genus or species might be an alligator. In terms of
the shape of snout, alligators have U-shaped snouts whereas crocodiles have V-shaped snouts. This
means that if the snout shape of the unknown reptile is U-shaped, then its genus and species will be an
alligator, if it is V-shaped, then its genus or species will be a crocodile.

2. How do family of Felidae (cat and lions) and Canidae (dogs and hyena) differ from each other?

• Felidae is a family of cats and their relatives, like cats and lions, under the order Carnivora whereas
canidae is a family of dogs and their relatives, like dogs and hyenas under the order Carnivora, also.
Most of felidae are able to climb a fence and trees but most of canidae aren't. This is due to the fact that
the the family of falidae are extremely flexible and their leg muscles are designed for climbing while the
leg muscles of the family of canidae are designed for running and they are built for endurance.
Furthermore, most of felidae are afraid of water but all of canidae are not afraid of water.

ACTIVITY #4: COMPARE AND CONTRAST

Instructions: Compare and contrast the following processes in plants and animals using a Venn diagram.
a. reproduction
b. development
c. nutrition
d. gas exchange
e. transport/circulation
f. regulation of body fluids
g. chemical and nervous control
h. immune systems
i. sensory and motor mechanisms

Note: Create one Venn diagram for each process in plants and animals. Answer briefly.

ACTIVITY #5. FEEDBACK MECHANISMS

1. Cite at least 5 examples of feedback mechanisms in the body. Identify whether it is negative feedback
or positive feedback and explain why you categorize it as such.
Feedback mechanisms

1. Childbirth (positive feedback) - The contractions experienced during childbirth are the result of a
positive feedback loop in which stretching of the uterine walls causes greater stretching of the walls (this
continues until birthing happens).

2. Blood clotting (positive feedback) - A chemical is released when tissue is damaged or injured.
Platelets produce clotting factors, causing additional platelets to aggregate together at the injury site.

3. Blood pressure regulation (negative feedback)- Blood pressure should be high enough to pump blood
to all parts of the body, but not so high that it causes damage.

4. Temperature regulation (negative feedback) - When the body's temperature rises or falls, systems
kick in to bring it back to normal.

5. Blood sugar regulation (negative feedback) - When blood sugar levels are high, insulin decreases
them; when blood sugar levels are low, glucagon raises them.