Chapter 1 The Living World

Biodiversity

The variety of different kinds of plants, animals, or organisms.

Nomenclature

The system of naming organisms for universal identification.

Identification

The process of describing and naming organisms according to specific codes.

ICBN

International Code for Botanical Nomenclature, guiding plant naming.

ICZN

International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, guiding animal naming.

Binomial Nomenclature

A two-part scientific naming system established by Carolus Linnaeus.

Genus

The first part of a scientific name, representing a group of similar species.

Specific Epithet

The second part of a scientific name, specifying a particular organism.

Taxa

Categories for classifying organisms, which can mean many similar things.

Taxonomy

The process of classifying organisms into different taxa.

Systematics

The branch of study focused on understanding organisms and their diversities.

Biological Name

Generally written in Latin and formatted in italics.

Taxonomic Categories

Hierarchical ranks in ascending order for classifying organisms.

Species

A basic unit of classification, distinguished by specific features.

Family

A group of related genera that exhibit less similarity than species.

Order

An assemblage of families showing even fewer similarities.

Class

A grouping of multiple orders, e.g., Mammalia for mammals.

Phylum/Division

Based on shared common features; division for plants; phylum for animals.

Kingdom

The highest taxonomic rank, with two examples: Kingdom Animalia and Kingdom Plantae.

Universality in Nomenclature

Both genus and specific epithet are handwritten underlined or printed in italics.