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Nomenclature of living organisms


NOMENCLATURE OF LIVING ORGANISMS


  • Common name or local name of organisms is also known as vernacular name. These names change with language or local areas and thus create problem in recognizing, understanding and studying them worldwide. Therefore there is a need to give universal name to living organisms.
  • Carl Linnaeus, father of modern botany and father of taxonomy, was a Swedish naturalist who introduced the modern classification and a scientific method of nomenclature in 1758.
  • Nomenclature is defined as a systematic and scientific method of naming an organism. The scientific names of organisms are comprised of two names which reveal the group to which it belongs.
  • This system of nomenclature is known as a binomial system of nomenclature (naming system) in which an organism is given two names.
  • Some rules followed to assign a name to the organism are:

  • Scientific name of organism is comprised of two names. First name is the name of genus and second name is the name of species.
  • A generic name (name of genus) reveals the features that an organism shares with other closely related organisms which have features similar enough to place them in the same group.
  • A specific name (name of species) which distinguishes an organism from all other species. No other organism can have the same combination of genus and species.
  • The name of the genus begins with capital letter and the name of the species begins with small letter.
  • When printed the scientific names are represented in italics and when written by hand they are underlined separately.
  • The scientific name derived by using the system of nomenclature is followed all over the world as they are guided by a set of rules stated in the International Code of Nomenclature.

 

Examples:

Homo sapiens [Human beings]

Rana tigrina [Frog]

Panthera tigiris [Tiger]

Azadirchatia indica [Margossa, neem]

Rattus rattus [black rat ]

Felis catus [domestic cat]

Solanum tuberosum [potato]

Nelumbo nucifera [lotus]