Table of contents |
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What is Taxonomy? |
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I. Hierarchical Classification System |
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II. Binomial Nomenclature System |
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Rules of Binomial Nomenclature |
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Previous Year Questions (PYQs) on this Topic Asked in NEET |
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The world is an interesting place and earth is considered home to 8.7 million species. Wouldn’t it be interesting to know the types of species of plants and animals with the help of well devised systems. Thus, EduRev is providing effectively planned notes of “Taxonomy” under which you will study about identification, nomenclature and classification of the species.
Taxonomy is a science that deals with the naming, describing, and classification of all living organisms according to their similarities and differences .
Example: Plants, Animals
His contributions to taxonomy were:
(i) Hierarchical Classification System
(ii) Binomial nomenclature system
History of Taxonomy
Carolus Linnaeus [1707 - 1778]
- He is known as the Father of Taxonomy, Father of Plant Taxonomy, and Father of Animal Taxonomy.
- Linnaeus gave the Two kingdom system classification. He grouped plants and animals into kingdom Plantae and kingdom Animalia, respectively.
- Linnaeus wrote many books. The most important publication is Systema Naturae.
To learn more about the History of the Taxonomy, Watch this video: Introduction to Taxonomy
Taxonomy includes the study of the following:
These names represent a particular organism in every part of the world. The scientific names must be:
To accomplish the uniformity, certain international codes have been established:
Taxonomy is divided into two categories
Features of Classical taxonomy:
(i) Species are specified on the basis of morphological characters.
(ii) Only few characters are studied for classification.
(iii) It does not include the evolutionary relationship of organisms.
(iv) A few individuals or their preserved specimens are used for the study. This study is known as the typological concept.
(v) Species are believed to be static or unchanging.
(vi) Species is the centre stage of the study, its sub-units are not important.
Features of Modern Taxonomy:
(a) New systematics is based on the study of all types of variations in the species.
(b) Modern taxonomy deals with the study of genetic constituents, cellular structure, phylogenetic relationship, mode of nutrition, reproduction along with morphological characters.
(c) Specifying boundaries of species is carried out on the basis of all types of biological traits. It is also called biological delimitation of species.
(d) Inter-relationships are brought out between primary & advanced species.
(e) Species are considered dynamic.
A system of classifying organisms into different hierarchical levels is known as hierarchical classification. It includes the sequence of categories from kingdom to species in decreasing or increasing order, and vice versa.
Hierarchical Classification System
Systematics is a branch of biology that deals with classifying plants, animals, and other organisms into categories that can be named, remembered, compared, and studied.
Systematics in Animals
Basis of Systematic Study
Binomial nomenclature is the system of providing distinct and appropriate names to organisms, each consisting of two words, first generic name {i.e., name of genus) and second specific epithet (i.e., name of species).
Note: The information provided above about “Binomial Nomenclature” is important with respect to the NEET exam.
The rules framed by Linnaeus and by the above codes are as follows:
Learn this topic in depth through this video: Detailed Overview: Taxonomy & Nomenclature
Q1: Which of the following is against the rules of ICBN? [NEET 2019]
(a) Handwritten scientific names should be underlined.
(b) Every species should have a generic name and a specific epithet.
(c) Scientific names are in Latin and should be italicized when printed.
(d) Generic and specific names should be written starting with small letters.
Correct Answer is Option (d)
According to the international code for botanical nomenclature (ICBN), the first word denoting the genus starts with a capital letter while the specific epithet starts with a small letter.
Q2: Select the correctly written scientific name of Mango, which was first described by Carolus Linnaeus. [NEET 2019]
(a) Mangifera Indica
(b) Mangifera Indica Car. Linn
(c) Mangifera indica Linn
(d) None
Correct Answer is Option (c)
- According to Binomial Nomenclature, the first word denoting the genus starts with a capital letter while the specific epithet starts with a small letter
Example: Scientific name of mango is Mangifera indica.- The author's name appears after the specific epithet, i.e., at the end of the biological name, and is written in an abbreviated form.
Example: Mangifera indica Linn. which indicates this species was first described by Linnaeus.
Q3: Nomenclature is governed by certain universal rules. Which one of the following is contrary to the rules of nomenclature? [NEET 2016]
(a) Biological names can be written in any language.
(b) The first word in a biological name represents the genus name, and the second is a specific epithet.
(c) The names are written in Latin and are italicized when printed.
(d) When written by hand, the names are to be underlined.
Correct Answer is Option (a)
Binomial nomenclature (also known as binary nomenclature) is a formal system for naming living things that consists of two parts (Genus & Species), both of which should be written in Latin grammatical forms.
Example: Homo sapiens
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1. What is the definition of taxonomy in biology? | ![]() |
2. What is the hierarchical classification system in taxonomy? | ![]() |
3. What are the rules of binomial nomenclature? | ![]() |
4. How does binomial nomenclature help in the classification of organisms? | ![]() |
5. Why is taxonomy important in the field of biology? | ![]() |