Systematics is the science necessary to establish order in a diverse world of wildlife. Without a simple, understandable, as well as well-organized system, it is impossible to achieve an easy understanding by scientists of each other. Nevertheless, the science of taxonomy was formed over several centuries.
History of taxonomy
Which scientist is considered the founder of taxonomy? Conrad Gesner, who lived in the 16th century, was one of the first to systematize well-known living organisms. Later, the British, Italians and Dutch used and improved, and also introduced their own kind of wildlife system. The Englishman John Ray in the 17th century proposed ordering numerous organisms, using knowledge of the differences and similarities between them. Such a proposal was a significant step forward in the development of biology.
Nevertheless, Karl Linnaeus, a Swedish naturalist, is recognized as the founder of taxonomy.
It was he who proposed the binary nomenclature instead of the long names of species of animals and plants. Karl Linney is the founder of modern taxonomy, the very system that is currently used around the world. It is not outdated due to its simplicity and ease of use.
Karl Linney Biography
The founder of taxonomy was born in a Swedish village in the family of a priest in 1707. He became interested in the plant world as a child. However, after graduating from high school, on the advice of a teacher, he entered the medical department of the university. As a result, the founder of taxonomy became a doctor of medical sciences. He used his knowledge of the doctor throughout his life. He treated people using herbs, which he was well versed in, since he had been fond of botany since childhood.
There was Karl Linney in Lapland, different parts of his native country, on the islands of the Baltic Sea. Everywhere, the founder of taxonomy was engaged in the study of plants and their distribution in taxonomic groups.
Binary nomenclature
A species is the basic unit of taxonomy in biology. Organisms of one species interbreed and give full offspring. It was Karl Linney who invented how to designate specific names. The founder of taxonomy described each type of organism in two words: the first word is the name of the genus (higher taxon), and the second is the species name itself. In this case, there is minimal confusion in concepts, because there are still significantly fewer genera in biology than species.
Moreover, Karl Linney attributed each type of organism to taxonomic groups of different hierarchies. He used the concepts of class, order, gender, and species. The hierarchy in biology allows you to restore complete order in a huge number of representatives of wildlife. For example, the blue pigeon belongs to the genus of pigeons, the family of pigeons, the order of pigeon-like, a class of birds.
The taxonomy of Carl Linnaeus is presented in Latin. In it, each species has a specific name that is unique to it. For example, a wolf - Canis lupus. The genus Canis, which means "wolf," includes different types of wolves, including jackals. Only individuals capable of producing full-fledged offspring belong to the species name (Canis lupus). Around the world, an ordinary wolf has formed about 37 subspecies: a red wolf, a tundra wolf, a dog, a wild dingo dog and many others.
A little later, there was a slight confusion that the same species may have several specific names in Latin: either the generic name or the species word changes. This is due to the work of various scientists or the fact that experts have not determined to which particular genus the representative of the wildlife world belongs.
The great work of Carl Linnaeus
The founder of taxonomy determined the place of man in the system of the world of wildlife. He described himself as a rational man and attributed the appearance of people to primates. Description is given in the work of the author "System of Nature".
The same work describes the division of the natural world into the animal, plant and mineral kingdoms.
Thus, scientists consider Karl Linnaeus to be the founder of modern systematics, because he did the greatest work to establish the principles of classification of living organisms. These principles are currently used. Binary nomenclature and hierarchy in taxonomy have proven practical in application.