According to linnaeus why is classification important

While this system of classification has existed for over years, it is constantly evolving. Classification in the s was based entirely on the morphological characteristics what something looks like of the organism.

Those that looked most alike were put closest together in each category. This can be depicted as a tree, with the diverging branches showing how different the species become as you move out from the kingdoms trunk.

Now, a radical shift in the grouping of organisms is occurring with the development of DNA technologies. Sequencing of the genetic code of an organism reveals a great deal of information about its similarity with and relationship to other organisms, and this classification often goes against the traditional morphological classification.

Scientists are debating which species are most closely related and why. Currently in New Zealand, there are projects to sequence kiwi and tuatara DNA that may revolutionise the way we think about these species and their closest living relatives. However, DNA technology is still expensive and time-consuming, so the first step in any classification continues to rely on a comparison of morphological features, similar to the process that Linnaeus undertook in the s.

Your students can learn more about how the Linnaean classification system works with this activity, Insect mihi. Classification is not a field that stays still and this means scientists and taxonomists sometimes have to reassess classifications. Learn more in Leon Perrie 's thought provoking blog, Why do scientific names change? Learn more about the five kingdoms on the Biology Online website.

The kingdom is the largest and most inclusive grouping. It consists of organisms that share just a few basic similarities.

Examples are the plant and animal kingdoms. The species is the smallest and most exclusive grouping. It consists of organisms that are similar enough to produce fertile offspring together. Closely related species are grouped together in a genus. This chart shows the taxa of the Linnaean classification system. Each taxon is a subdivision of the taxon below it in the chart.

For example, a species is a subdivision of a genus. The classification of humans is given in the chart as an example. Perhaps the single greatest contribution Linnaeus made to science was his method of naming species. This method, called binomial nomenclature , gives each species a unique, two-word Latin name consisting of the genus name and the species name.

An example is Homo sapiens , the two-word Latin name for humans. Why is having two names so important? It is similar to people having a first and a last name. The binomial system is important because it allows scientists to accurately identify individual species.

For example, the European robin is Erithacus rubecula. It is much smaller than the American robin, Turdus migratorius , which belongs to a different genus. The grouping of families was added to allow the large number of new species to be included in this system. Linnaeus' original ideas have been adapted, but continued to be accepted and as new species are identified they can be fitted into the current classification system.

Originally, Linnaeus couldn't distinguish between different types of organisms such as algae, lichens, fungi, mosses and ferns. The inability to examine such organisms in detail made separation of these difficult at the time. As more scientific equipment became available it allowed scientists to examine organisms in more detail and note important features, such as the identification of sex organs.

There is the original name given by Linnaeaus and the accepted scientific name often different. While the genus and species names of Linneaus' rank-based classification system are used, cladististic systematics is increasingly popular.

Cladistics categorizes organisms based on traits that can be traced to the most recent common ancestor. Essentially, it's classification based on similar genetics. When identifying an object, Linnaeus first looked at whether it was animal, vegetable, or mineral. These three categories were the original domains. Domains were divided into kingdoms, which were broken into phyla singular: phylum for animals and divisions for plants and fungi.

Phyla or divisions were broken into classes, which in turn were divided into orders, families, genera singular: genus , and species.

Species in v were divided into subspecies. In botany, species were divided into varietas singular: variety and forma singular: form.

According to the version 10th edition of the Imperium Naturae , the classification system was:. The mineral taxonomy is no longer in use. The ranking for plants has changed, since Linnaeus based his classes on the number of stamens and pistils of a plant.

The animal classification is similar to the one in use today. For example, the modern scientific classification of the house cat is kingdom Animalia, phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, family Felidae, subfamily Felinae, genus Felis, species catus. Many people assume Linnaeus invented ranking taxonomy.