Tools for Study of Taxonomy

Taxonomy depends on a range of practical aids to identify, compare, preserve and document organisms, and the specific tools differ somewhat between plant and animal studies. For plant taxonomy, the classical tools are the herbarium (a curated collection of dried, pressed plant specimens) and the botanical garden (a living reference collection of plant species). For animal taxonomy, the classical tools are the museum, taxonomical keys, and zoological and marine parks — each covered in more detail in the following sub-sections, alongside newer molecular, automated and electronic tools that have supplemented these classical methods as technology has advanced. …