Define taxonomic hierarchy ? List the categories used in classification of organisms.
Taxonomic hierarchy:- Taxonomic hierarchy is the process of arranging various organisms into successive levels of the biological classification either in a decreasing or an increasing order from kingdom to species and vice versa.
The taxonomic hierarchy was introduced by Linnaeus. It is also known as a Linnaeus hierarchy. It is used to classify organisms into different categories. It includes the sequence of categories in a decreasing or increasing order from kingdom to species and vice versa. The Kingdom is the highest rank in the hierarchy followed by phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. Species are the lowest rank in the hierarchy.
Taxonomic Hierarchy Categories
Following are the important taxonomic hierarchies in which different organisms are classified:
Kingdom
The kingdom is the highest level of classification, which is divided into subgroups at various levels. There are 5 kingdoms in which the living organisms are classified, namely, Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, and Monera.
Phylum
This is the next level of classification and is more specific than the kingdom. There are 10 phyla in the kingdom Animalia. For Example – Porifera, Chordata, Arthropoda, etc.
Class
Class was the most general rank in the taxonomic hierarchy until phyla were not introduced. Kingdom Animalia includes 108 classes including class Mammalia, reptilia, aves, etc.
Order
Order is a more specific rank than class. The order constitutes one or more than one similar family. There are around 26 orders in class Mammalia such as primates, Carnivora, etc.
Family
This category of the taxonomic hierarchy includes various genera that share a few similarities. For eg., the families in the order Carnivora include Canidae, Felidae, Ursidae, etc.
Genus
A group of similar species forms a genus. Some genera have only one species and are known as monotypic, whereas, some have more than one species and are known as polytypic. For eg., lion and tiger are placed under the genus Panthera.
Species
It is the lowest level of the taxonomic hierarchy. There are about 8.7 million different species on earth. It refers to a group of organisms that are similar in shape, form, and reproductive features. Species can be further divided into sub-species.
Ex.
Kingdom Animalia
phylum Chordata
class Mammalia
order Primate
family Hominidae
genus Homo
species sapiens
Taxonomic hierarchy:- Taxonomic hierarchy is the process of arranging various organisms into successive levels of the biological classification either in a decreasing or an increasing order from kingdom to species and vice versa.
The taxonomic hierarchy was introduced by Linnaeus. It is also known as a Linnaeus hierarchy. It is used to classify organisms into different categories. It includes the sequence of categories in a decreasing or increasing order from kingdom to species and vice versa. The Kingdom is the highest rank in the hierarchy followed by phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. Species are the lowest rank in the hierarchy.
Taxonomic Hierarchy Categories
Following are the important taxonomic hierarchies in which different organisms are classified:
Kingdom
The kingdom is the highest level of classification, which is divided into subgroups at various levels. There are 5 kingdoms in which the living organisms are classified, namely, Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, and Monera.
Phylum
This is the next level of classification and is more specific than the kingdom. There are 10 phyla in the kingdom Animalia. For Example – Porifera, Chordata, Arthropoda, etc.
Class
Class was the most general rank in the taxonomic hierarchy until phyla were not introduced. Kingdom Animalia includes 108 classes including class Mammalia, reptilia, aves, etc.
Order
Order is a more specific rank than class. The order constitutes one or more than one similar family. There are around 26 orders in class Mammalia such as primates, Carnivora, etc.
Family
This category of the taxonomic hierarchy includes various genera that share a few similarities. For eg., the families in the order Carnivora include Canidae, Felidae, Ursidae, etc.
Genus
A group of similar species forms a genus. Some genera have only one species and are known as monotypic, whereas, some have more than one species and are known as polytypic. For eg., lion and tiger are placed under the genus Panthera.
Species
It is the lowest level of the taxonomic hierarchy. There are about 8.7 million different species on earth. It refers to a group of organisms that are similar in shape, form, and reproductive features. Species can be further divided into sub-species.
Ex.
Kingdom Animalia
phylum Chordata
class Mammalia
order Primate
family Hominidae
genus Homo
species sapiens
