Nearly 1.5 million species of organisms have been described. This variety is the basis of diversity. To study it effectively, animals are arranged in an orderly and systematic manner – this is classification.
1. Classification and Taxonomy
- Classification is the ordering of organisms into groups on the basis of their similarities, dissimilarities and relationships.
- Taxonomy is the science of classification. It makes the study of a wide variety of organisms easier.
- The first systematic approach to the classification of living organisms was made by the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus. He generated the standard system for naming organisms in terms of genus, species and larger groupings using Latin terms.
- The five kingdom classification: Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia. These groups are formed on the basis of cell structure, mode of nutrition, body organisation and reproduction.