Trend in Taxonomy L-6

TRENDS IN TAXONOMY
LECTURE-6
MEHERUN NESA
DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF RAJSHAHI
RAJSHAHI-6205
TRENDS IN TAXONOMY
Taxonomy is the science of the description and classification of

organisms, essential in theoretical and applied biology. About 1.7
million species have been named since Linnaeus and it is
estimated that only around 5-10% of the world’s biota has been
described so far, and, obviously, taxonomy plays the major role in
this sense.
TRENDS IN TAXONOMY
• The aim of modern Taxonomy is not only to describe, identify and arrange organisms in
convenient categories but also to understand their evolutionary histories and
mechanisms.
• The old morphological species is now called a biological one which also includes
ecological , genetical , biochemical and other characters.
• All this new approaches have contributed a lot in explaining the true structure of the
species and its evolutionary position.
TRENDS IN TAXONOMY
The current trends of taxonomy are categories in several groups such as:
Morphological Approach
 Immature stages & Embryological Approach
Ecological Approach
Behavioral approach
Genetic approach
Biochemical/ Molecular Approach
Numerical Approach
Numerical Approach
1. Morphological Approach
• Morphological characters such as wings, antennae, mouth parts,
genitalia etc. mainly among arthropods and insects in particular
are still of immense taxonomic importance.
• The use of scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission
electron microscope (TEM), ultraviolet rays etc. have helped the
cause of new systematics.
2. Immature stages & Embryological Approach
• The taxonomic identification is based not only on the
morphological characteristics of the adult but rather it is based on
the sum total of all characters of all stages.
• there are various animal groups where the classification is
usefully aided by the characteristics of there immature stages.
• The Anopheles maculipennis complex was broken into a number of sibling species
on the basis of their egg structure.
• The whole classification of whiteflies (Homoptera: Aleurodidae) is primarily
based on the structure of pupae.
• The Cercariae larvae provide useful and most reliable characters in the
claasification of Trematodes.
• In groups like sponges, with less reliable morphological characters, the study of
embryology is of great help[ in the classification and separation of species.
3. Ecological Approach
It is an established fact that each species has its own niche in
nature, differing from one another on its closest relative in
preferences of food, breeding season, tolerance to various
physical factors etc. If two species coexist in the same habitat,
they avoid inter-specific competition by their species-specific
niche characteristics, with each species subsiding on different
types of food.
• The closely related species are either found to live in different
habitats or places in which case their ecological characteristics
may be extremely similar or they share the same habitat and
each having different type of food or otherwise avoid
interspecific competition.
4. Behavioral approach
The use of behavioral characteristics is one of the most
important sources in animal systematics. Comparative
ethology has proved very useful in improving the
classification of insects (particularly bees, wasps, some
beetles and cricket), fishes, frogs, birds etc.
• These characteristics are genetically determined and
transmitted from generation to generation like morphological
and physiological characteristics.
• Alexander(1962) discovered about 40 species of crickets in
North America on the basis of sound analysis.
5. Genetic approach
• By using various staining techniques, the number, shape
and banding of chromosomes can be determined. Such
karyotype is a definite and constant character of each
species.
• The discovery of DNA hybridization between single
stranded DNA components from different origins can
occur and provides a physio chemical means for
assessing genetic relatedness among species.
6. Biochemical/ Molecular Approach
• Animals contain a large number of complex compounds like
hormones, enzymes and protein molecules comprising of
peptides, nucleic acids etc. the primary work of a biochemical
taxonomists is concerned with the comparison and constructing
of compounds of the same class and performance of similar
functions in different animal species.
7. Numerical Approach
• Instead of Numerical taxonomy, some workers prefer to use the
terms ‘Taximertics’ ‘Taxonometrics’ and ‘Taximetry’. Degree of
similarity was one of the basic criteria on which the recognition
of taxa had been based. The first comprehensive effort to
develop a new theretical and practical approach to biological
systematics was put forward by Robert R. Sokal and P.H.A.
Sneath (1963), illustrated in their book.
8. Numerical Approach
• Womble in 1951, proposed differential systematics as a method
for summing up the rates of changes with distance (differential)
for several characters to show zones of differentiation within a
taxon. However such laborious procedures to obtain the
differential set of characters have been out rightly rejected by a
number of biologists. Today, Computer can do this job.

Trend in Taxonomy L-6

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Trend in Taxonomy L-6

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Trend in Taxonomy L-6

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

TRENDS IN TAXONOMY

Taxonomy is the science of the description and classification of

You might also like