Answer to Question #120646 in Evolution for NIBEDITA RUDRA

Question

What are various evidences used for modern taxonomic classification ? Give suitable
examples in support of your answer.

Answer 1

The taxonomic units in modern taxonomy are domain, kingdom, phylum (division is sometimes used in botany in place of phylum), class, order, family, genus, and species.

The evidence used by scientists use to classify organisms are essentially form and evolutionary relationships.

Evolutionary relationships.

The diversity of living organisms on earth is very overwhelming. Human beings have come up with ways of organizing, or classifying, biological diversity throughout human history.

Organisms can be classified according to any number of criteria, including overall similarities, colors or ecological factors. It was agreed that the most useful way for scientists to organize biological diversity is to group organisms according to shared evolutionary history or characteristics. Grouping did not only result in an organized classification but it also contains and conveys information about our understanding of the evolutionary history of those groups.

Although our understanding of evolutionary relationships among organisms has greatly improved but it is not complete. Relationships among organisms and groups of organisms continues to be revised as new data becomes available comparing them to the past. Almost all taxonomies or systems of nomenclature based on evolutionary relationships among organisms are being revised.

The use of binomial nomenclature system was proposed by Carl Linnaeus. In this system, the phylogenetic relationship, cladistic analysis, and systematic approaches are used.