write about the hierarchy of classification groups in about 80-100 words? what is the basic unit of classification? plzzzzz......fast
Please find below the solution to the asked query:
Taxonomic hierarchy means arrangement of taxonomical categories in hierarchical or stepwise manner with kingdom occupying the top most position while species occupying the bottom most position.
- Kingdom is the topmost unit of classification, followed by phylum, class, order, family, genus and species. A number of phyla having common characters are placed in the same kingdom. For example, the phyla Arthropoda, Platyhelminthes and Mollusca belong to the kingdom Animalia.
- Phylum is the taxonomic division of living organisms which contains one or more classes. In the hierarchy of classification, phylum comes after kingdom and before class. A number of classes having common characters are placed in the same phylum. For example, the classes Crustacea, Insecta and Arachnida belong to the phylum Arthropoda. Phylum is called ‘division’ in case of plants.
- Class is the taxonomic division of living organisms which contains one or more orders. In the hierarchy of classification, class comes after phylum and before order. A number of orders having common characters are placed in the same class. For example, the orders Diptera (e.g., flies), Hymenoptera (e.g., ants) and Orthoptera (e.g., grasshoppers) belong to the class Insecta.
- Order is the taxonomic rank after class and before family. A number of families having common characters are placed in the same order. For example, the families Culicidae (mosquitoes) and Muscidae (houseflies) belong to the order Diptera.
- Family is the taxonomic rank after order and before genus. A number of genera having common characters are placed in the same family. For example, the genus Aedes and the genus Anopheles are part of the family Culicidae.
- Genus is the taxonomic rank lower than family and higher than species. It is used in the classification of living organisms and fossils.
- Species is the fundamental unit of taxonomic classification. A species is defined as a group of organisms that have some common characteristics and are capable of breeding. For example, Aedes aegypti is a mosquito species belonging to the genus Aedes.
The basic unit of classification is species.
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