Taxonomists provide unique names for species, labels that can help us find out more about them, and enable us to be sure that we are all talking about the same thing.
How to Name a Species: the Taxonomic Process 1 Taxonomists begin by sorting specimens to separate sets they believe represent species. Once the specimens are sorted the next job is to see whether or not they already have names. This may involve working through identification guides, reading descriptions written perhaps years ago, and borrowing named specimens from museums or herbaria to compare with the sample. Such comparison may involve external characters, need to dissect internal structures, or even molecular analysis of the DNA.
If there is no match the specimens may represent a new species, not previously given a name. How would you organize them so that you can better understand them all?
For example, you could list all the species in alphabetical order. You could also list each species by colour, or size, or even smell! Biologists use taxonomy as the method of classification.
The basic idea of taxonomy is based on how species share certain characteristics with each other which are often due to evolving from the same species. There are many characteristics that biologists use to organize species into a taxonomy tree. Here are some criteria that we use:. For example, Cats and Bears have broad characteristics in common both use sexual reproduction, circulate blood, etc. Biologists use a dichotomous key to help them create these classifications.
A key should never describe more than one possibility e. When scientists discover a new organism, they compare the new organism to known organisms so they can be classified, but this can sometimes be difficult.
This is because new organisms might share some characteristics with known organisms, but have major differences that make them very different.
Taxonomy entails the description, naming, and classification of living things. Why is taxonomy so important? Well, it helps us categorize organisms so we can more easily communicate biological information. Taxonomy uses hierarchical classification as a way to help scientists understand and organize the diversity of life on our planet.
Hierarchical classification basically means that we classify groups within larger groups. The basic hierarchy of classification is described below for the sea slugs I study in the Project Lab. This listing is an oversimplification of hierarchical classification since there are categories between those shown. The hierarchical names of organisms reflect the general physical attributes of the organisms placed within these groupings. For example, all of the animals within the Mollusca share the feature of being soft-bodied.
You may have heard of scientific names before, and perhaps you noticed that they contain two parts. Scientific names of organisms include the genus followed by the species name. An example of a species within the sea slug family I am researching is Doto ussi. Taxonomy is important since other scientific disciplines like conservation and drug discovery hinge on organisms being classified and named.
Prior to being able to sequence DNA, organisms were described and categorized solely by their distinct morphologies physical characteristics and ecological roles. The ability to sequence DNA has revealed a great deal more about where an organism belongs taxonomically and helps pinpoint new species. A component of my graduate project is looking at the DNA of Doto sea slugs of two different morphologies from the Indo-Pacific.
These morphologies include specimens with a short body and elongate body from Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and the Philippines.
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