Concept and Use of a Classification System

Concept of a Classification System

The concept of a classification system in biology refers to the method by which biologists group and categorise organisms based on various characteristics.
It involves organising living organisms into a hierarchy based on their similarities and differences. This hierarchical classification is known as the biological classification system or taxonomy.
The classification system is universal, meaning that it is used by scientists all over the world, regardless of their language or geographical location.
It is continually evolving as new species are discovered and as technology enables us to identify more precise similarities and differences between organisms.

Use of a Classification System

Identification: A classification system helps to identify organisms. By comparing an unknown organism’s features with the standard, it can be categorised into a particular group.
Predication: If an organism is properly classified, the behaviours and characteristics of the entire group can give information about that particular organism.
Understanding Evolutionary Relationships: By classifying organisms, we can understand the evolution structure and the ancestral relationships between various species.
Ease of Study: There are millions of species on earth. Classification makes the study of such a wide variety of organisms manageable and systematic.
Conservation Efforts: Classification helps in the identification of species that might be at risk of extinction, allowing for focused conservation efforts.

Hierarchy of Classification

The commonly recognised hierarchy of biological classification is: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.
The hierarchy ranges from broad categories (Kingdom) to specific categories (Species).
The same organism will share more characteristics with others in its own species than with those in the same genus, more with those in the same genus than with those in the same family, and so forth.
An easy way to remember this hierarchy is the phrase: King Philip Came Over For Good Spaghetti.

Binomial Nomenclature

Forestall confusion arising from common names, scientists use a biological naming convention known as Binomial Nomenclature.
In binomial nomenclature, each species is given a unique, two-part scientific name consisting of the genus name and the species name. For example, humans are called Homo sapiens.
The binomial nomenclature method of naming species was developed by Swedish naturalist Carolus Linnaeus.
Scientific names are usually in Latin or Greek and are italicised, with the genus capitalized and the species lowercase.