bio 5.3

• Binomial nomenclature: the system of naming organisms using two names
• There are three main reasons for using binomial nomenclature:

  1- To be sure each organism has a unique name that is not confused with other organisms.

  2- So that names can be universally understood regardless of culture and language.

  3- So that people can't change the names of organisms without valid reasons
• The first part of an organism's scientific name is its genus, which tells us about the general characteristics of all members of this group.
• The second part of an organism's scientific name is its species, which identifies it as being different from others within the same genus.
• Taxonomists classify species using hierarchy, which is a system of classification that groups organisms into increasingly larger groups.
• Hierarchy starts at the top with kingdom, then phylum, followed by class, order, family, genus, and finally species.
• All organisms are classified into three domains: Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya
• The four plant phyla are: Bryophyta, Filicinophyte, Coniferophyte, and Angiospermophyte