The biological system of classification is multi-level from species through to phylum. Each level, such as species, genus family and so on form a taxon. A taxon (taxa for more than one) is a group of one or more populations of organisms that have been classified together by a Taxonomist based on close similarities between features and generally reflects close evolutionary relationships.
Taxonomy is, not only, the arrangement of organisms into groups based on their shared characteristics, but also, naming those groups. The groups are hierarchically ranked. Some groups of a particular rank can be placed together to form a higher order group on the hierarchy. Click to see an animation that may explain this a little more clearly.
The groups formed are known as taxa.
1) Which of the following groups are taxa?
2) A taxonomist, due to his research, was able to claim the existence of three new taxa. What does this mean?
3) Taxa are ordered in hierarchical levels of increasingly exclusive sets. As the sets of taxa get more exclusive they contain
members in the set but with a higher degree of
.
4) A scientist who identifies and classifies organisms is known as
5) Which of the following list of taxa is listed in correct order from least inclusive on the right to most inclusive on the left.
