The Importance Of Taxonomy In The Natural World

WHAT IS TAXONOMY?

Taxonomy usually refers to the theory and practice of describing, naming and classifying living things. Taxonomy, a subdivision of systematics, is the science of biological classification (“Systematics, taxonomy, classification,” n.d.). Such work is essential for the fundamental understanding of biodiversity and its conservation. Yet the science behind delimiting the natural world into “species” is often neglected, misunderstood or even derided in some quarters. According to Encarta, probably the first scientific study of plants was the attempt to classify them. At first, because of the limited knowledge of plant structures, artificial classifications, beginning with the most ancient one into herbs, shrubs, and trees, were necessary. Modern taxonomic classification, based on the natural concepts and system of the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus, has progressed steadily since the 18th

THE IMPORTANCE OF TAXONOMY Firstly, taxonomy aims at identifying species not specimens. A species is a group of individuals (specimens) that may, to a greater or lesser degree, show the ever present intra-population variability. Knowledge of polymorphism is essential for the species ' circumscription. However, it is always necessary to remember that we must never identify specimens. In brief, the chief task of the taxonomist is to know the variability and separate that which is intra- from that which is inter-populational (Carlos E., 2004). Also, according to “Why taxonomy is important,”( n.d.), taxonomy is said to be important because the classification of organisms show the relationship between the organism and its