Summary & Tables
TABLE 1.1: Organisms with their Taxonomic Categories
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| Common Name | Biological Name | Genus | Family | Order | Class | Phylum / Division |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man | Homo sapiens | Homo | Hominidae | Primata | Mammalia | Chordata |
| Housefly | Musca domestica | Musca | Muscidae | Diptera | Insecta | Arthropoda |
| Mango | Mangifera indica | Mangifera | Anacardiaceae | Sapindales | Dicotyledonae | Angiospermae |
| Wheat | Triticum aestivum | Triticum | Poaceae | Poales | Monocotyledonae | Angiospermae |
Taxonomic Hierarchy Definitions
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| Category | Definition | Key Examples (Animals) | Key Examples (Plants) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Group of individuals with fundamental similarities; can distinguish from closely related groups. | Panthera leo (Lion), Panthera tigris (Tiger) | Mangifera indica (Mango), Solanum tuberosum (Potato) |
| Genus | Aggregates of closely related species; has more characters in common than species of other genera. | Panthera (Lion, Leopard, Tiger), Felis (Cats) | Solanum (Potato, Brinjal) |
| Family | Group of related genera with fewer similarities than genus/species. Based on vegetative & reproductive features. | Felidae (Cats, Panthera), Canidae (Dogs) | Solanaceae (Solanum, Petunia, Datura) |
| Order | Assemblage of families exhibiting a few similar characters (mostly floral in plants). | Carnivora (Felidae, Canidae) | Polymoniales (Convolvulaceae, Solanaceae) |
| Class | Includes related orders. | Mammalia (Primata, Carnivora) | Dicotyledonae, Monocotyledonae |
| Phylum / Division | Classes with common features (e.g., notochord in animals). 'Division' is used for plants. | Chordata | Angiospermae |
| Kingdom | Highest category of classification. | Animalia | Plantae |
Chapter Summary
The living world is rich in biodiversity, with described species ranging between 1.7-1.8 million. To study this vast diversity, scientists have established procedures for Identification, Nomenclature, and Classification. This branch of study is called Taxonomy, while Systematics deals with evolutionary relationships.
Universal Rules of Binomial Nomenclature (Carol Linnaeus):
- Biological names are generally in Latin and written in italics.
- The first word represents the Genus (starts with Capital letter).
- The second word denotes the specific epithet (starts with small letter).
- When handwritten, both words are underlined separately; when printed, they are italicized (e.g., Mangifera indica).
Taxonomic Hierarchy: Classification involves a hierarchy of steps where each step represents a rank or taxon. As we go higher from Species to Kingdom, the number of common characteristics decreases.
Sequence: Species → Genus → Family → Order → Class → Phylum/Division → Kingdom