You are here
💡 One name for the world
A tiger is bagh , puli , tiger or tigre depending on where you are. To avoid confusion, science gives every organism one universal name.
What is binomial nomenclature?
Binomial Nomenclature
The universal two-part naming of an organism by its genus and species, given by Linnaeus.
Example:
Panthera tigris (tiger)
- A universal two-part system of naming organisms, introduced by Carolus Linnaeus in the 18th century.
- The name has a genus name (first, capitalised) and a species name (second, lower case) — e.g. Panthera tigris (tiger), Mangifera indica (mango).
- The genus groups closely related species; together the genus and species form a unique name used worldwide.
| S. No. | Common name | Scientific Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Tiger | Panthera tigris |
| 2. | Mango | Mangifera indica |
What are the rules for writing scientific names?
Rules for Scientific Names
Two parts - the genus and the species Genus capitalised and first, species in lower case Written in italics when printed Underlined when handwritten
Rules for writing the scientific names
- The name has two parts — the genus name and the species name.
- The genus name begins with a capital letter and comes first; the species name follows in lower case.
- The scientific name is written in italics when printed, or underlined when handwritten (Fig. 12.18).
📚 Ready to Go Beyond
The five kingdom system could not fully explain the diversity of life. Comparing organisms at the DNA level, Carl Woese (1977) proposed the three domain system — Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya (Fig. 12.19). Organisms with similar DNA are considered to share a common ancestry, and this system showed that microscopic life is far more diverse than earlier believed.
✅ Test Yourself
-
What is binomial nomenclature?
Show answer
The universal system of naming organisms in which every organism has a two-part scientific name — the genus name and the species name — written in Latin or a Latinised form. It was introduced by Carolus Linnaeus. -
How is a scientific name written when handwritten?
Show answer
It is underlined. When printed, it is written in italics.
Important Definitions
- Binomial nomenclature — the universal two-part system of naming organisms, introduced by Carolus Linnaeus.
- Genus name — the first part of a scientific name; it begins with a capital letter.
- Species name — the second part of a scientific name; it is written in lower case.
