What is taxonomy and how it is classified

Taxonomy is the science of the classification that orders under different criteria. Normally, it is done in a hierarchical order, and in biology it has special relevance because allows to organize, know the origin and have a consensus To name each organism.

The history of taxonomy has advanced with the arrival of new technologies and knowledge and therefore, we have different moments in which we can classify various types. Next we present how the taxonomy has evolved.

You may also be interested in this article about the branches of biology and what they study.

Aristotle was the first person to classify living beings, distinguishing between animals with blood and those that do not have red blood. This is an approach to the categories of vertebrates and invertebrates. Aristotle was also the one that invented the concept of gender, which refers to a race or lineage.

You may be interested in vertebrate and invertebrate animals: characteristics, examples and differences.

For this century, the trips began to be more accessible and could be sent to researchers to gather plants and animals, forming the first natural collections in Europe. The first taxonomes described and classified the organisms found only to reflect the divine plan of creation.

Between 1600 and 1713 John Ray published several works on insects, plants, fish, birds and mammals, where he explained the similarities between them, laying the Bases for the science of morphology. It was also the one that created the division of monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants.

Discover the monocotyledonous plants: what are and examples.

Carlos Linneo divided the natural world into three kingdoms: animal, vegetable and mineral. From this he created a hierarchical classification system according to different categories, these being: class, order, family, gender and species. He also created the binomial names in Latin to give each organism their name and avoid the common names that lend themselves to confusion.

Together are Peter Artedi, the world divided to classify everything they could. Thus they came to classify more than 7,300 species.

Discover the Plantae kingdom: what is, characteristics, classification and examples.

This pair of scientists discovered that even within a species there may be small variations, so they introduced the Latino Trinomial Systemwhere subspecies are added.

In 1866, Haeckel noticed that life could not only be classified as plants or animals, but there are also microorganisms that do not fit in these two distinctions. This group called protists, from what formed three new kingdoms: animal, vegetable and protist.

We recommend reading the Protist Kingdom: What is, characteristics, classification and examples.

In 1977 I know They discovered the archeswhich are microscopic organisms that live in extreme temperature or salinity conditions. Before they classified together with bacteria, but from their DNA it is known today that they have their own kingdom apart.

In 1950 a new way of classifying organisms under the Criterion of evolutionary and genetic relationships Among the organisms. It was theorized by Willi Hennig, which meant that the similar features between organisms revealed a closer kinship than those who did not have them. This type of taxonomy uses genetic trees made by computer, where other derivatives are based on primitive features. For example, carnivorous legs are primitive compared to the derivative seal fins. Each derived character is called synapomorphia.

As you will see, the taxonomy constantly changes and continues to do so in recent times thanks to the contributions of taxonomes and scientists. In many cases a contribution does not exclude others, but completes what is global biological taxonomy.

Currently, the traditional classification is already used and its taxonomic categories to order living beings. Then we present them and we will use the fox as an example to contextualize.

• Domino: It is the highest category and the criteria that governs the divisions is the presence of cell with core, which are the protist eukaryotes, plants, fungi and animals, or the absence of said nucleus, grouping the prokaryotes that are the arches and bacteria.
• Kingdom: It is the second level, in which we have the animal kingdom.
• Filo or Division: The term division is used in plants and fungi, while phylum or phylum is used in animals. This level of classification divides classes that share certain features. For the edge of the cords, all organisms that have notocorda are included.
• Class: It is understood as several lower orders. The class of mammals only includes hot blood organisms, with hair, mammary glands and single bone jaw.
• Order: It consists of several families. The order of carnivores groups those who have premolars and molars modified to a torn -oriented diet.
• Family: It consists of genres. In the case of the Canids family, those with non -retractable nail claws, two bones merged into the wrist and a long hairy tail are grouped under this category.
• Gender: It is the term that Aristotle created and will always go in italics and in Latin. Gender is used Vulpes To call all the triangular and snout foxes long, thin and pointed.
• Species: It is the basic unit of taxonomy and refers to populations that can only reproduce among them. The binomial name of the red fox is Vulpes Vulpes and is characterized by having a red fur. It is important to mention that the species is always expressed binomially, adding gender and species.

Now that you know what taxonomy is and how it is classified, we invite you to read this other ecology article where you can know how the orcs are classified.

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