Test: The Living World- 2 - NEET MCQ

Taxon tiger represents the taxonomic category species. The tiger (Panthera Tigris) is the largest cat species, most recognizable for its pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with a lighter underside.

Line in NCERT: "Taxonomic studies consider a group of individual organisms with fundamental similarities as a species."

Explanation:

1. Binomial nomenclature is a system of naming organisms. It was proposed by Carl Linnaeus.
2. In binomial nomenclature, each organism has a scientific name consisting of two parts.
3. The first part is the genus and the second part is the species.
4. The first letter of the genus is written in upper case and the first letter of the species name is in lower case.
5. Both the genus and species name are written in italics, underlined if handwritten.
6. Example: Homo sapiens is the scientific name of humans, where Homo is the generic name or genus name and sapiens is the specific name or species name.

The scientific name of humans is Homo sapiens. It belongs to the genus Homo.

Line in NCERT: "Human beings belong to the species sapiens which is grouped in the genus Homo. The scientific name thus, for human being, is written as Homo sapiens."

There are different languages and so different regional names for an organism. Therefore, scientists came up with the idea of binomial nomenclature. Binomial nomenclature is introduced to standardize the name of a living organism.

Line in NCERT: "Hence, there is a need to standardise the naming of living organisms such that a particular organism is known by the same name all over the world."

• Binomial nomenclature is the system of providing organisms with appropriate and distinct names consisting of two words, first generic and second specific.
• The original names were taken from Latin and Greek languages. New names are now derived either from Latin language or are latinised.
• This is because Latin language is dead and therefore, it will not change in form or spelling with passage of time.

So, the correct answer is 'Assertion is correct but Reason is incorrect'.

Line in NCERT: "Biological names are generally in Latin and written in italics. They are Latinised or derived from Latin irrespective of their origin."

• Systematics is the study of the identification, taxonomy and nomenclature of organisms, including the classification of living things with regard to their natural relationships and the study of variation and the evolution of taxa.
• A major goal of biological classification systems is to reflect evolutionary relationships among organisms.
• Knowing phylogenetic relationships is essential for interpreting the evolution of traits of organisms.

Line in NCERT: "The scope of systematics was later enlarged to include identification, nomenclature and classification."

The ability to respond to environmental stimuli is indeed a fundamental characteristic of all living organisms, distinguishing them from non-living things

Line in NCERT: "Responsiveness to environmental stimuli is a fundamental characteristic that differentiates living organisms from non-living matter."

• The taxonomic ranks in descending order are domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species.
• Higher taxon will comprise broader characteristic features and include features of its lower taxa.
• As a class would include order, family, genus and species.

Line in NCERT: "Taxonomical studies of all known organisms have led to the development of common categories such as kingdom, phylum or division (for plants), class, order, family, genus and species."

The genus is not the highest level of classification; it is a level that groups species based on close similarities and common ancestry. The highest level of classification in the biological hierarchy is the kingdom, followed by phylum, class, order, family, genus, and then species. This hierarchical system allows for the organization of the vast diversity of life into a structured framework.

Line in NCERT: "Genus comprises a group of related species which has more characters in common in comparison to species of other genera."

Biological names are Latinized and written in Italics. The generic epithet starts with capital letter while the second component specific epithet starts with small letter. Here the binomial nomenclature of Lion is Panthera leo but not Panthera Leo. Also, in Panthera Tigress the second component is written in capital letter which means that Panthera Tigress is not the answer. And in Panthera Lion the word Lion is not derived from Latin which reflects that Panthera Lion is also not the answer.

Line in NCERT: "Let us consider Mangifera indica, Solanum tuberosum (potato) and Panthera leo (lion)."

Biological names are standardized in scientific nomenclature and are written in Latin for consistency and universal understanding. The correct answer is C: Generally, biological names are written in Latin and italicized. Here's why:

- Biological names are universally identified in Latin for consistency.
- Italicizing the names distinguishes them from regular text.
- This practice aids in clarity and consistency in scientific communication.

Line in NCERT: "Biological names are generally in Latin and written in italics."

The 8 levels of modern taxonomy classification systems are Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.

Line in NCERT: "Taxonomical studies of all known organisms have led to the development of common categories such as kingdom, phylum or division (for plants), class, order, family, genus and species."

- Taxa represent categories at various levels within the classification system.
- Human and Homo sapiens are actually the same taxa, with Homo sapiens being the specific species within the human taxa.
- Mammals, Dogs, and animals represent taxa at different hierarchical levels.
- Taxa is indeed a scientific term for a category, used in biological classification.
- The incorrect statement is B: "Human and Homo sapiens represent different taxa," which is inaccurate as Homo sapiens is a species within the human taxa.

Line in NCERT: "B: Human and Homo sapiens represents different taxa."

Felidae does not have dogs. 

- Felidae is a biological family that includes cats, tigers, and leopards.
- Dogs belong to the biological family Canidae, which is separate from Felidae.
- Cats, tigers, and leopards are all members of the Felidae family due to shared characteristics like retractable claws and a carnivorous diet.
- Dogs, on the other hand, have different physical and behavioral traits, making them distinct from Felidae species.

Line in NCERT: "Families are characterised on the basis of both vegetative and reproductive features of plant species. Among animals for example, genus Panthera, comprising lion, tiger, leopard is put along with genus, Felis (cats) in the family Felidae."

Higher taxonomic categories like order are typically identified based on the aggregates of characters, with order being an assemblage of families that exhibit a few similar characters. This helps in grouping organisms based on shared characteristics, allowing for a more systematic classification.

Line in NCERT: "Generally, order and other higher taxonomic categories are identified based on the aggregates of characters."

The binomial system of nomenclature in biology serves the fundamental purpose of providing each organism with a unique scientific or biological name comprising two words. This system, developed by Carl Linnaeus, helps in standardizing the naming and identification of organisms globally. The first word represents the genus, while the second word signifies the species. For example, Homo sapiens is the scientific name for humans, where Homo denotes the genus and sapiens the species. This naming system enables scientists, researchers, and individuals worldwide to accurately communicate about specific organisms, facilitating a universal understanding and reference point in the field of biology.

Line in NCERT: "Based on the resemblances and distinct differences, each organism is identified and assigned a correct scientific/biological name comprising two words as per the binomial system of nomenclature."