The following paper outlines the use of the Linnaeus system of classification as applied in the field of biology and evolution. The aim of the paper is to highlight how living things are related to other in the ecosystem (Pierce, 2007). It takes us through the evolutionary system highlighting all the important features of life development amongst all the living things.
Biological classification
Classification is the process of categorizing all the living creatures into group hierarchies citing their characteristic features. Classification is based on the work of Carl Linnaeus. During the 18th century, Linnaeus devised a biological method of classifying living things (plants and animals) (Altran, 1990). This method has been universally used to understand the use of science in the natural development of living things.
Carolus Linnaeus was a Swedish medical doctor and a renowned botanist who lived between 1707 and 1778. He is referred to as the father of botanical classification. He developed the scientific method of classifying living things in the 18th century making it possible to integrate and understand their development in a more defined way (Altran, 1990).
According to Linnaeus, the main aim of classification is to explain the evolutionary process of living things and the way they are related to each other. Carl indicated that there are five botanical kingdoms (Pierce, 2007). The five kingdoms are further subdivided in to other diverse and exclusive groups. The following is the hierarchical sequence of classification: the kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and the species.
The Systematics or taxonomy is the art of classifying living things according to their similarity in characteristics. It is develop...
... middle of paper ...
...ssign names to mysterious species. Biological classification also provides people general form of communication when it comes to identifying species.
Works Cited
Altran, S. (1990).Cognitive foundations of natural history: towards an anthropology of science. England: Cambridge UP
Earnest, M. & Bock, W. (2002). Classifications and other ordering systems. Evol. Research 40 (4): 169–94.
Filepie.us. (2011). Biological Classification. Retrieved from http://www.filepie.us/?title=Biological_classification.
Pierce, B. (2007). Genetics: A conceptual Approach (3rd ed.). Washington DC. Freeman publishers
Rudwick, S. (1985). The Meaning of Fossils: Episodes in the History of Palaeontology. Chicago: Chicago UP.
Schuh, T. & Brower, A. (2009). Biological Systematics: principles and applications (2nd edn.) New York: Cornell UP
Jackson, James R. and Kimler, William C. "Taxonomy and the Personal Equation: The Historical Fates of Charles Girard and Louis Agassiz". Journal of the History of Biology. 32 (1999): 509-555.
Around that time, people noticed that there were different types of humans in different parts of the world. There were several attempts to classify the various types of humans, but such classifications were generally extremely ethnocentric, and included ideas that have been proved incorrect. For a time people believed that creatures like Dr. Moreau's Beast People could and did exist in the world; explorers told fantastic tales of humans with the heads of dogs, or mermaids, or islands populated by only humans of only one gender. In the seventeenth century John Ray coined the term "species," but he believed that none of the species had changed since the day of creation. Linnaeus, who invented the system of binomial nomenclature used today to classify different species, was also a creationist.
Throughout time, of course, marine biologists have created methods—or “techniques” (163)—that allow such a task to become more straightforward. The method which mainly comes to mind involves close observation of the organism, and noting as much of its minor and major characteristics while attempting to identify it. By recording such details as the organism’s symmetry, general shape, colors, external appearance, internal structure, and measurement, marine scientists can refer back to identification guides to figure out what specific classification their organism fits in, or whether they have the right taxonomy in mind or not (Mertz, Garrison and Baker 163-164). Upon confirming the organism’s identity with the noted characteristics, finding extra information about it becomes much easier
Ecology, according to the oxford dictionary, is “the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and their phy...
o The terms of the classification tell us what the individuals in that class have in common.
Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection explains the general laws by which any given species transforms into other varieties and species. Darwin extends the application of his theory to the entire hierarchy of classification and states that all forms of life have descended from one incredibly remote ancestor. The process of natural selection entails the divergence of character of specific varieties and the subsequent classification of once-related living forms as distinct entities on one or many levels of classification. The process occurs as a species varies slightly over the course of numerous generations. Through inheritance, natural selection preserves each variation that proves advantageous to that species in its present circumstances of living, which include its interaction with closely related species in the “struggle for existence” (Darwin 62).
4. Cladistics and evolutionary systematics are two approaches to classification. How are they similar and how are they different? What are the benefits of using one over another?
Bloom, B.S, Rehage Kenneth J., Anderson, Lorin W. (1994) Bloom’s taxonomy: A forty- year retrospective. Chicago:NSSE.
In conclusion, according to Beddow, Hymes and McAuslan (2011, p. 12), classification both provides an easy life and give a hand to stay alive however, nowadays momentarily classification is not a necessity, but it is in progress without noticing by human beings. Considering Beddow, Hymes and McAuslan (2011, p. 12) people classify things depending upon a couple of elements when the subject is human beings. According to Beddow, Hymes and McAuslan (2011, p. 12), although
Categorized within each group alphabetically.
The term taxonomy is used for the classifi-cation of living and once-living organisms. Taxonomy also refers to "scientific classification" or "biological
Examine the different kinds of leaves. Classify each according to the kind of leaf blades, kinds of leaf veins, Phyllotaxy, and leaf blade morphology.
The biological species concept is crucial to understanding both the reason why outmoded anthropocentrism is completely invalidated by Darwinian evolution and why Murdy's modern version is not only compatible with evolutionary theory but is an inevitable evolutionary phenomenon. It is important to no...
The world we live in today is full of an exceptional variety of animals. The time it took to conclude to the various sorts of species seen today has been throughout a period of millions of years. The vast majority of these animals are accredited to evolutionary advancements. When the environment changes, organisms have become accustomed to changing to fit their environment, to ensure their species does not die off. These physical changes have resulted in different phyla, ranging from basic structures, like sponges to advance systems, like that of an octopus.
The evolution from water to land was a major event in the vertebrates. Species respiratory, circulation, and reproduction system show how they evolved and adapted to the environment. Vertebrates who belong the phylum Chordata had at least at some point of their life, a dorsal hollow nerve cord, a notochord, pharyngeal pouches, and a tail that extends beyond the anus. It is said that fishes were amongst the first vertebrates. The earliest fish to appear in the fossil record were jawless, covered with bony plates, gills, scales, but no fins. According to Arreola, they later evolved by adapting to their environment and began to form jaws and paired fins. The jaws were useful with their muscles and teeth, which helped them eat a wider variety of food, and were even able to defend themselves by bi...