From microscopic algae to giant trees, from glowing jellyfish to soaring eagles — life exists in countless forms. How do scientists make sense of millions of living things without getting lost?
- What do you understand by biodiversity?
- How does the grouping of organisms help us understand diversity?
- On what basis, are plants and animals classified?
- How does classification help address problems in farming?
In this chapter we will learn about biodiversity and India as a biodiversity hotspot, how biodiversity evolved, why and how we classify organisms, the criteria used for classification, how classification systems changed over time, the five kingdom system (Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia) with the classes of plants and the phyla of animals, the hierarchical levels of classification, the binomial system of scientific naming, fossils as evidence of change, and how biodiversity is under threat today.