Classification of biodiversity
Understandings:
• The binomial system of names for species is universal among biologists and has been agreed and developed at a series of congresses.
• When species are discovered they are given scientific names using the binomial system.
• Taxonomists classify species using a hierarchy of taxa.
• Taxonomists sometimes reclassify groups of species when new evidence shows that a previous taxon contains species that have evolved from different ancestral species.
• Natural classifications help in identification of species and allow the prediction of characteristics shared by species within a group.
• The binomial system of names for species is universal among biologists and has been agreed and developed at a series of congresses.
• When species are discovered they are given scientific names using the binomial system.
• Taxonomists classify species using a hierarchy of taxa.
• Taxonomists sometimes reclassify groups of species when new evidence shows that a previous taxon contains species that have evolved from different ancestral species.
• Natural classifications help in identification of species and allow the prediction of characteristics shared by species within a group.
YNES MEXIA 1870-1938
Mexican-American botanist Ynes Mexia discovered two new plant genera and 500 new plant species—and she didn’t even start collecting plants until she was 51 years old. Born in 1870 in Washington D.C. to a Mexican diplomat father, Mexia spent many years as a social worker before enrolling as an undergraduate at the University of California Berkeley and discovering her passion for botany. In the 1910s and 1920s, she traveled thousands of miles around Mexico, South America, and Alaska, collecting some 145,000 plant specimens in just 13 years. Today, 50 plant species are named for her. Mental Floss; A. Green, 2016 |
Theory of knowledge:
The adoption of a system of binomial nomenclature is largely due to Swedish botanist and physician Carolus Linnaeus (1707–1778). How does the social context of scientific work affect the methods and findings of research? Is it necessary to consider the social context when evaluating ethical aspects of knowledge claims?
The adoption of a system of binomial nomenclature is largely due to Swedish botanist and physician Carolus Linnaeus (1707–1778). How does the social context of scientific work affect the methods and findings of research? Is it necessary to consider the social context when evaluating ethical aspects of knowledge claims?