Taxonomy and Systematics

Taxonomy (Greek taxis, arrangement; nomos, law) is the science of arranging living organisms through classification, description, identification and naming — covering all flora, fauna and microorganisms. The word was coined by the botanist Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1813. Taxonomy is a theoretical discipline built on well-defined principles, rules and procedures, which is what distinguishes it from casual, informal sorting. Aristotle is honoured as the father of classical taxonomy, while Carolus Linnaeus is recognised as the father of modern taxonomy, having developed the hierarchical system that eventually grew to encompass eight ranks: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species.

Systematics (Greek for system/sequence) pursues essentially the same goal as taxonomy — classifying organisms under stipulated rules — but its core activities are described as identifying, describing, naming, arranging, preserving and documenting organisms, and it additionally investigates evolutionary history, environmental adaptation and interrelationships between species. …