Diversity and the Naming of Organisms

Name: Diversity and the Naming of Organisms
Author: StemPy Lab

Tulsi in one language is holy basil in another, and a silverfish is not a fish at all. With millions of kinds of organisms, common names cannot work. In this course we see how many kinds of life we know, we learn the rules of the scientific name, and we follow the four steps that a biologist takes from a new organism to its place in a group.

3 lessons, about 1 h 15 min3 simulations12 problems6 practice questionsPython in every lesson

Created by StemPy Lab

Course outline (3 lessons)

Lesson 1about 25 min
How many kinds of living things are there?
Between 1.7 and 1.8 million species are known and described, and many more are not yet described. This variety is biodiversity. Common names change from place to place and can mislead, so biologists need one name for each organism that is the same in the whole world. Taxonomic studies help agriculture, forestry and industry, and they tell us about our biological resources.
1 simulation2 practice questions1 Python program4 problems
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Lesson 2about 25 min
Binomial nomenclature: the scientific name
Every species has a scientific name of two words, the genus and the specific epithet. This is binomial nomenclature, introduced by Linnaeus. The name is in Latin, in italics in print and underlined word by word in handwriting. The genus starts with a capital letter and the epithet with a small letter, and the author's name follows in short form. The rules for plants and animals are kept in international codes.
1 simulation2 practice questions1 Python program5 problems1 Python lab1 note
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Lesson 3about 25 min
From a new organism to a place in a group
Four processes are basic to taxonomy: characterisation, identification, classification and nomenclature. Classification is the grouping of organisms into convenient categories by easily observable characters. Taxonomy is the whole study, and systematics, from the Latin systema, also takes the evolutionary relationships between organisms into account.
1 simulation2 practice questions1 Python program3 problems1 Python lab1 question set
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Diversity and Naming: Timed Test

20 questions · 10 min

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← The Living World

← What Is Living?Taxonomic Categories and Taxonomical Aids →

More onDiversity of Living Organisms › Biodiversity and Nomenclature Diversity of Living Organisms › Classification of Living Organisms

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Diversity and the Naming of Organisms

Course outline (3 lessons)

How many kinds of living things are there?

Binomial nomenclature: the scientific name

From a new organism to a place in a group

Test Your Learning

Your teacher

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