BIOL 242 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Sympatric Speciation, Divergent Evolution, Symplesiomorphy
Document Summary
Taxonomy is the field of biology that is involved in naming, describing and classifying organisms, both fossil (extinct) species and living (extant) species. We use taxonomic principles to describe and give unique names to newly described species, and to identify and distinguish them from other organisms. The principles of taxonomy are also used to order species into categories based on their similarities and differences in morphology, physiology, biochemistry, behavior, or genes. Knowledge of the evolutionary relationships among species is not necessary for taxonomy, although most taxonomists try to use such data in classifying organisms. Without a set of international rules to follow, the naming of species would be confusing. A robin" and a jay" are two birds commonly known to americans, but a. Robin" or jay" refers to different birds for europeans. To this end, there are formal "rules" used by scientists.
