Naming species Flashcards
Q: What problem arises from reusing names, such as first and last names?
A: It can lead to confusion when identifying specific individuals, requiring additional descriptors for clarity.
Q: How did scientists address the confusion in naming organisms in the 18th century?
A: They started giving every species a unique name to prevent overlapping names and confusion.
Q: What was a major issue with the naming of organisms before Linnaeus?
A: Different scientists used different names for the same organisms, leading to confusion and long, descriptive names.
Q: Who was Carl Linnaeus and what did he contribute to biology?
A: Linnaeus was a Swedish scientist who developed a simple two-part naming system (binomial nomenclature) to uniquely identify organisms.
Q: What is binomial nomenclature?
A: It is a two-part naming system for organisms consisting of the genus name and the specific epithet, designed to avoid confusion in scientific communication.
Q: Give an example of a binomial name and explain its parts.
A: Homo sapiens: “Homo” is the genus (meaning man) and “sapiens” is the specific epithet (meaning wise).
Q: What are the rules for writing a species name?
A: The genus name is capitalized, the specific epithet is in lowercase, and the whole name is italicized.
Q: Can two species share the same binomial name?
A: No, each species must have a unique binomial name to avoid confusion.
Q: What is the Rule of Priority in naming species?
A: Once a species is named and published in a peer-reviewed source, it cannot be renamed unless it was incorrectly classified.
Q: Which type of publication allows for the naming of new species?
A: Peer-reviewed scientific journals, such as Nature: International Weekly Journal of Science, are where new species can be officially named.
