A Breakdown on Taxonomy and Scientific Names - AntsCanada Tutorial #26
Summary
TLDRIn this educational tutorial, 'Mikey Buos', also known as 'ANS' from Canada, delves into the world of taxonomy and binomial nomenclature, focusing on the scientific naming of ants. He explains the purpose of scientific names in identifying species and clarifies the hierarchical structure of biological classification, starting from Kingdom to Species. The tutorial highlights the significance of standardized nomenclature in overcoming language barriers and reducing confusion caused by common names. It also touches on the origins of scientific names, often derived from Latin or Greek, and the correct way to write and italicize them. The video concludes by emphasizing the universality and precision of scientific names in global communication about species.
Takeaways
- 📚 Taxonomy is the science of classification in biology, first established by Carl Linnaeus in 1735.
- 🔍 Binomial nomenclature is a two-part naming system for living things, consisting of genus and species names.
- 🏷️ The main taxonomic levels in classification are Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.
- 🤝 Humans and ants both belong to the Kingdom Animalia but diverge at the Phylum level, with humans in Chordata and ants in Arthropoda.
- 🧬 Scientific names are universal and help avoid confusion caused by different common names in various languages.
- 🔑 The scientific name of a human is Homo sapiens, while the fire ant is Solenopsis invicta.
- 📝 Scientific names are often derived from Latin or Greek and can be descriptive or named after the discoverer or location.
- 📚 The first letter of the genus is capitalized, and the species name is in lowercase, with the entire name typically italicized.
- 🔄 Abbreviations like 'sp.' indicate an unspecified species, while 'ssp.' denotes an unspecified subspecies.
- 🔄 'cf.' is used for a species that is similar to a known species but not confirmed.
- 🌐 Standardized scientific names are crucial for clear communication about species across different languages and regions.
Q & A
What is the main purpose of the tutorial presented by Mikey Buos?
-The main purpose of the tutorial is to demystify and clarify how scientific naming, specifically taxonomy and binomial nomenclature, works and why it is used to identify animals such as ants.
Who is credited with establishing the first binomial nomenclature for living things?
-Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, is credited with establishing the first binomial nomenclature through his publication 'Systema Naturae' in 1735.
What are the major taxonomic levels mentioned in the tutorial?
-The major taxonomic levels mentioned are Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.
How do humans and ants differ in their classification within the Kingdom Animalia?
-Humans and ants both belong to the Kingdom Animalia, but they diverge at the Phylum level: humans belong to Chordata (animals with backbones), while ants belong to Arthropoda.
What is the scientific name of a human according to the script?
-The scientific name of a human is Homo sapiens.
What is the scientific name of the fire ant mentioned in the tutorial?
-The scientific name of the fire ant mentioned is Solenopsis invicta.
What is the significance of the capitalization in scientific names?
-The first letter of the genus is always capitalized, while the first letter of the species is always lowercase. This helps distinguish between the genus and species parts of the binomial nomenclature.
Why should scientific names be italicized whenever possible?
-Scientific names should be italicized to indicate that they are scientific terms and to differentiate them from common names.
What does the abbreviation 'sp.' stand for and how is it used in classification?
-'sp.' stands for 'species' and is used when the actual specific scientific species name cannot or needs not be specified, indicating an unspecified species of a genus.
What is the meaning of the abbreviation 'ssp.' and how is it used?
-'ssp.' stands for 'subspecies' and is used to indicate an unspecified subspecies.
Why is the abbreviation 'cf.' used in classification, and what does it imply?
-'cf.' is an abbreviation of the Latin word 'confer', meaning 'compare'. It is used to refer a specimen to a known species even though it may not be of that species, indicating that the identification is not confirmed.
What is the main advantage of using scientific names over common names for organisms?
-The main advantage of using scientific names is that they provide a standardized nomenclature that avoids confusion and is universally understood, regardless of language or location.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Taxonomy and Binomial Nomenclature
This paragraph introduces the tutorial by Mikey Buos, who is also known as ANS, from Canada. The focus is on taxonomy, the science of classification in biology, and binomial nomenclature, the scientific two-part naming system for organisms. The tutorial aims to clarify the process of scientific naming, particularly for ants and other animals. It begins with the historical context of taxonomy, established by Carl Linnaeus in 1735 with his publication 'Systema Naturae'. The main taxonomic levels are outlined, from Kingdom to Species, with a brief mention of subdivisions and superdivisions. The paragraph also explains the classification of humans and ants, highlighting the differences in their taxonomic paths, and introduces the concept of genus and species names in identifying organisms. The scientific names for humans (Homo sapiens) and a specific ant species (Solenopsis invicta) are provided as examples.
🔍 The Importance of Scientific Nomenclature
The second paragraph delves into the significance of using scientific names in the identification of species. It contrasts the potential confusion arising from common names, which can vary by language and even within the same language, with the universality and precision of scientific nomenclature. The paragraph explains that scientific names, often derived from Latin or Greek, are descriptive and can be indicative of the discoverer or the place of discovery. It also covers the conventions of capitalization and italicization in scientific names, as well as the use of abbreviations such as 'sp.' for unspecified species and 'cf.' for species that are similar to a known species but not confirmed. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the importance of a standardized nomenclature to avoid confusion and ensure clear communication about species across different languages and regions.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Taxonomy
💡Binomial Nomenclature
💡Carolus Linnaeus
💡Kingdom
💡Phylum
💡Genus
💡Species
💡Latin or Greek
💡Italicization
💡Abbreviations
💡Common Names
Highlights
The tutorial explains the concept of taxonomy and binomial nomenclature in the scientific naming of organisms, particularly ants.
Taxonomy was first established by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1735 through his publication 'Systema Naturae'.
Binomial nomenclature is a two-part naming system for living things, universally used in biology.
The major taxonomic levels include Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.
Humans and ants both belong to the Kingdom Animalia but diverge at the Phylum level.
The scientific name of a human is Homo sapiens, and the fire ant is Solenopsis invicta.
Scientific names are often derived from Latin or Greek and may be named after the discoverer or place of discovery.
The genus name is always capitalized, and the species name is always lowercase.
Scientific names should be italicized whenever possible to denote their scientific nature.
The abbreviation 'sp.' is used for an unspecified species within a genus.
'sp.' is plural and indicates several unspecified species within a genus.
The abbreviation 'subsp.' or 'ssp.' is used for an unspecified subspecies.
'cf.' stands for 'confer' and is used for a specimen that may not be of the specified species but is similar.
Scientific names eliminate confusion across different languages and within the same language with common names.
Common names can refer to several different species, unlike scientific names which are specific.
The tutorial emphasizes the importance of scientific names for clear and universal identification of species.
The presenter, Mikey Buos, encourages viewers to spread 'ant love' and learn more about taxonomy.
Transcripts
hello guys Mikey buos here AKA ANS
Canada bringing you another random but
helpful tutorial this tutorial is about
taxonomy and binomial nomenclature uh
you know the scientific naming of ants
and just basically is uh created to
demystify and clarify exactly how
scientific naming works and uh why we
use scientific names uh to identify ants
and other animals so watch this next
video taxonomy is the practice and
science of classification in biology it
was first established by a Swedish
botanist physician and zoologist named
carolus lenus through a publication
entitled Systema natur in
1735 he was the first to establish a
binomial nomenclature for living things
meaning the scientific two-part names we
now use universally the order of the
major taxonomic levels are Kingdom philm
class order family genus and species
there are also subdivisions and super
divisions however these are the main
Seven Levels involved in the
classification of living things
let's follow the classification of both
humans and ants humans and ants both
belong to the kingdom Animalia but
diverge at their Fila with humans
belonging to Cordata the cordat or
animals with backbones and ants
belonging to arthop the
arthropods proceeding down each level of
classification the nomenclature becomes
more and more specific the final two
levels genus and species create the
organisms scientific name when
identifying or naming a species we see
the genus and species name the
scientific name of a human is homo
sapiens and the scientific name of these
fire ANS is solenopsis
Invicta by the way both the singular and
plural form of the word species is
species there is one species there are
two
species scientific names are often
derived from Latin or Greek and these
names especially species names are often
named after the person who discovered
them or after the place of Discovery or
native location for instance say I were
to discover a new species of braam merx
in my yard I would call it braam merx
buosi or braam merx Toronto
nianis in most cases the Greek or Latin
origins of taxon names are in some way
descriptive for example the genus
chromatog gaster are known for their
uniquely shaped gasters and it just so
happens that the genus name
crematogaster comes from the Greek
kastos meaning hanging and gaster
meaning
belly so also worth noting is that the
first letter of the genus is always
capitalized and the first letter of the
species is always
lowercase also whenever possible the
scientific name should be
italicized other things to not are the
following
abbreviations the SP abbreviation is
used when the actual specific scientific
species name cannot or needs not be
specified for example camponotus SP
means an unspecified species of the
genus
camponotus if you find a camponotus ant
and aren't sure of its exact species and
want to refer to it as something you can
refer to it as camponotus SP
the abbreviation SP is the plural form
and indicates several species so
camponotus SP means two or more species
of the genus
camponotus remember these abbreviations
are not italicized and are always
lowercase
susp or its plural form
sup are abbreviations used to indicate
an unspecified subspecies
a synonymous abbreviation is SSP and
sspp the abbreviation CF is of the Latin
meaning confer or compare to this is
used to refer a specimen to a known
species even though it may not be of
that species it is most often used when
an identification is not confirmed so
for example if you have an ant that
you're pretty sure belongs to the genus
camponotus and are all Almost sure its
species is noorus but not 100% sure you
can refer to it as camponotus CF novor
kenis at least that way it lets everyone
know that it's what you believe the
species is but it hasn't been
confirmed so why do we need to give
scientific names anyway can't we just
give them an official common name well
the problem with that is different
organisms are called different things in
different languages at least with a
standardized nomenclature the name lasus
Niger identifies the single same ant
species whether mentioned in Italy
Brazil us Zimbabwe Thailand or
Transylvania everyone universally
understands with no confusion what
species is being talked about when
saying lacious Niger as opposed to
common black ant
deoir for mik
or orig negro for
instance also even within the same
language there can be confusion with
common names the common name potato bug
for instance can refer to several
animals at least with a scientific name
to identify them there is no confusion
as to which species you're talking about
another example is the name red ants
which can refer to several reddish
colored ant species including some
belonging to the Genera Mera and
solenopsis so there you have it guys
hope you enjoyed this tutorial hope you
found it very helpful and uh now you
know so please take care and uh do
spread the ant love this is ants Canada
signing
out w
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