Why do scientists classify living things

For example, human beings belong to the genus Homo , and our species is sapiens - so the scientific name is Homo sapiens. The binomial system is important because it allows scientists to accurately identify individual species. For example, the European robin is Erithacus rubecula. It is much smaller than the American robin, Turdus migratorius , which belongs to a different genus.

The grouping of families was added to allow the large number of new species to be included in this system. Linnaeus' original ideas have been adapted, but continued to be accepted and as new species are identified they can be fitted into the current classification system. Originally, Linnaeus couldn't distinguish between different types of organisms such as algae, lichens, fungi, mosses and ferns.

The inability to examine such organisms in detail made separation of these difficult at the time. As more scientific equipment became available it allowed scientists to examine organisms in more detail and note important features, such as the identification of sex organs. This allowed more divisions to be created, and with the advancement of technology, this allowed the development of Linnaeus's classification system.

Classification of living organisms Linnaean system of classification Living organisms are classified into groups depending on their structure and characteristics. Organisms within a family have more in common than with organisms in any classification level above it. Because they share so much in common, organisms of a family are said to be related to each other. Genus is a way to describe the generic name for an organism. The genus classification is very specific so there are fewer organisms within each one.

For this reason, there are a lot of different genera among both animals and plants. When using taxonomy to name an organism, the genus is used to determine the first part of its two-part name. Species are as specific as you can get.

It is the lowest and most strict level of classification of living things. The main criteria for an organism to be placed in a particular species is the ability to breed with other organisms of that same species.

The species of an organism determines the second part of its two-part name. The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands. Image credit: gadigal yilimung shield made by Uncle Charles Chicka Madden. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.

Learn more. Skip to main content Skip to acknowledgement of country Skip to footer On this page Toggle Table of Contents Nav What is classification? Every member of the plant kingdom shares this characteristic.

Scientists are always looking for these characteristics or 'observable features' which allow them to group different species together and see how they are related to each other. By comparing the features of different animals they have been able to classify them further, dividing each of the kingdoms into smaller groups.

To understand the whole thing a bit more it is good to look at an example. The red squirrel belongs to the Kingdom Animalia. Each kingdom is divided into groups, and these groups are divided into smaller groups.

Each level of group has a special name:.