Q.Explain the binomial system of nomenclature. Discuss the rules that govern the scientific naming of organisms, with examples.
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Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Because a single organism may have many different common names varying by language and region, and because such names are often ambiguous, science requires one universal, unambiguous name for every organism. This need is met by binomial nomenclature — the system in which every species is given a scientific name made up of exactly two parts, formalised and popularised in the eighteenth century by Carolus Linnaeus and still the internationally accepted standard today.
The rules governing every valid binomial name include: the name consists of exactly two parts, a generic name (genus) followed by a specific epithet; the generic name always begins with a capital letter while the specific epithet is written entirely in lower case; both parts are italicised in print (or separately underlined if handwritten); the name is usually of Latin origin or Latinised, regardless of the organism's country of origin; when first used in a piece of writing the name is generally written in full, and the genus may thereafter be abbreviated to its initial (for example, Mangifera indica may later be written M. indica); and the name of the author who first validly described the species is often added after the binomial, typically in abbreviated form (for example, Mangifera indica Linn.). …
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