Chapter 1: The Living World

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering essential terms and concepts related to biological diversity, nomenclature and taxonomic hierarchy from Chapter 1: The Living World.

Biodiversity

The total number and variety of living species on Earth; about 1.7–1.8 million species are currently described.

Nomenclature

The standardized system for assigning scientific names to organisms.

Binomial nomenclature

Two-word Latin naming system (genus + specific epithet) introduced by Carolus Linnaeus.

International Code for Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN)

Globally accepted rules that govern the scientific naming of plants.

International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN)

Globally accepted rules that govern the scientific naming of animals.

Taxonomy

The science of characterising, identifying, naming and classifying organisms.

Taxon (pl. taxa)

Any taxonomic category or unit (e.g., species, genus, family).

Classification

Grouping organisms into categories based on shared, observable characteristics.

Systematics

Branch of biology that studies identification, nomenclature, classification, and evolutionary relationships of organisms.

Species

Basic taxonomic unit; a group of organisms with fundamental similarities, distinguishable from other groups.

Genus

Category that comprises related species sharing more characters with each other than with species of other genera.

Family

Taxonomic category containing related genera that share several vegetative and reproductive traits.

Order

Category made up of related families that exhibit a few similar characters.

Class

Taxonomic rank that includes related orders (e.g., Mammalia).

Phylum / Division

Higher category containing related classes; ‘phylum’ for animals, ‘division’ for plants.

Kingdom

Highest traditional taxonomic rank grouping related phyla or divisions (e.g., Animalia, Plantae).

Taxonomic hierarchy

Ordered series of categories—Species, Genus, Family, Order, Class, Phylum/Division, Kingdom.

Carolus Linnaeus

Swedish naturalist who developed binomial nomenclature and authored Systema Naturae.

Mangifera indica

Scientific name of mango; ‘Mangifera’ is the genus, ‘indica’ the specific epithet.

Solanaceae

Plant family that includes genera such as Solanum (potato, brinjal), Petunia and Datura.