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Alpha Taxonomy

 
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Alpha taxonomy (or sometimes simply taxonomy) is the science
Science

In its broadest sense, science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research....
 of finding, describing and categorising organism
Organism

In biology, an organism is any life thing . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimulus , reproduction, growth and developmental biology, and maintenance of homeostasis as a stable whole....
s, thus leading to the recognition of proposed taxonomic groups, or taxa
Taxon

A taxon or taxonomic unit is a name designating an organism or a group of organisms. In biological nomenclature according to Carl Linnaeus, a taxon is assigned a taxonomic rank and can be placed at a particular level in a systematic hierarchy reflecting evolutionary relationships....
 (singular: taxon), which may then be named.

There are seven major levels of taxonomic groupings in traditional Linnaean taxonomy
Linnaean taxonomy

Linnaean taxonomy is a method of classifying living things, originally devised by Carolus Linnaeus , although it has changed considerably since his time....
: Kingdom, Phylum or Division, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species (each of which may have several super- or sub-groupings).






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Alpha taxonomy (or sometimes simply taxonomy) is the science
Science

In its broadest sense, science refers to any systematic knowledge or practice. In its more usual restricted sense, science refers to a system of acquiring knowledge based on scientific method, as well as to the organized body of knowledge gained through such research....
 of finding, describing and categorising organism
Organism

In biology, an organism is any life thing . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimulus , reproduction, growth and developmental biology, and maintenance of homeostasis as a stable whole....
s, thus leading to the recognition of proposed taxonomic groups, or taxa
Taxon

A taxon or taxonomic unit is a name designating an organism or a group of organisms. In biological nomenclature according to Carl Linnaeus, a taxon is assigned a taxonomic rank and can be placed at a particular level in a systematic hierarchy reflecting evolutionary relationships....
 (singular: taxon), which may then be named.

There are seven major levels of taxonomic groupings in traditional Linnaean taxonomy
Linnaean taxonomy

Linnaean taxonomy is a method of classifying living things, originally devised by Carolus Linnaeus , although it has changed considerably since his time....
: Kingdom, Phylum or Division, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species (each of which may have several super- or sub-groupings). Alpha taxonomy, however, focuses more on the species end of that spectrum (e.g., classifying organisms [specimens] into species groups, and classifying those into genera, rather than determining the higher-level relationships between families or orders).

For a long time the term "taxonomy
Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification. The word comes from the Greek language ', taxis and ', nomos .Taxonomies, or taxonomic schemes, are composed of taxonomic units known as taxa , or kinds of things that are arranged frequently in a hierarchical structure....
" was unambiguous, but over time it has gained several other meanings and thus became potentially confusing. To some extent it is being replaced, in its original (and narrow) meaning, by "alpha taxonomy". As such, alpha taxonomy deals mostly with real organisms: species and lower ranking taxa. Higher ranking taxa (including clade
Clade

A clade is a term used in modern alpha taxonomy, the scientific classification of living and fossil organisms, to describe a monophyletic group, defined as a group consisting of a single common ancestor and all its descendants.The term "monophyletic group" is used in this article in the conventional sense of "an a...
s and grades
Evolutionary grade

In alpha taxonomy, a grade refers to a level of morphology and/or physiological complexity. Organisms may be grouped by the grade of organisation they display without making any implications about their phylogenetic relationship....
) mostly are the province of systematics
Systematics

Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of life on the planet Earth, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time....
.

The relationship between "taxonomy" and "systematics" is a potential source of confusion. These words have a similar history: over time these have been used as synonyms, as overlapping or as completely complementary.
  • In today's usage, Taxonomy (as a science) deals with finding, describing and naming organisms. This science is supported by institutions holding collections of these organisms, with relevant data, carefully curated: such institutes include Natural History Museum
    Natural History Museum

    The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road. The museum is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
    s, Herbaria
    Herbarium

    In botany, a herbarium is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in alcohol or other preservative....
     and Botanical Garden
    Botanical garden

    Botanical gardens grow a wide variety of plants primarily to categorize and document for scientific purposes. Botanists and horticulturalists tend the flora and maintain the garden's library and herbarium of dried and documented plant material....
    s.
  • Systematics (as a science) deals with the relationships between taxa, especially at the higher levels. These days systematics is greatly influenced by data derived from DNA from nuclei, mitochondria and chloroplasts. This is sometimes known as molecular systematics which is becoming increasingly more common, perhaps at the expense of traditional taxonomy (Wheeler, 2004).


Butterfly Morpho Anaxibia (m) Kl

See also

  • Alternative taxonomical classification
    Alternative taxonomical classification

    Alternative taxonomical classifications are those which differ from the commonly accepted classifications in fundamental ways. One could say that every single classification system since Linnaeus has been alternative at some point, before it was either completely rejected, or accepted as the standard....
  • Biological classification
  • Cladistics
    Cladistics

    Cladistics is the hierarchical classification of species based on evolutionary ancestry. Cladistics is distinguished from other taxonomic systems because it focuses on evolution rather than similarities between species, and because it places heavy emphasis on objective, quantitative analysis....
  • Evolutionary tree
  • Important publications in taxonomy
  • Integrated Taxonomic Information System
    Integrated Taxonomic Information System

    The Integrated Taxonomic Information System is a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species....
  • Systematics
    Systematics

    Biological systematics is the study of the diversification of life on the planet Earth, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time....
  • Taxon
    Taxon

    A taxon or taxonomic unit is a name designating an organism or a group of organisms. In biological nomenclature according to Carl Linnaeus, a taxon is assigned a taxonomic rank and can be placed at a particular level in a systematic hierarchy reflecting evolutionary relationships....


External links

  • -
  • An AMNH & NSF
    NSF

    NSF may refer to:...
     Project
  • Ü
  • - article on a study by University Bloomington
    Indiana University Bloomington

    Indiana University is the flagship campus of the Indiana University. It is also known as "Indiana University Bloomington", "Indiana", or simply IU, and is located in Bloomington, Indiana....
     scientists