Question

Define numerical taxonomy?

Answer 1

The word numerical means something related to numbers and codes. It requires mathematical applications to define different characters of an organism.

Complete step-by-step answer:
It is the process of classifying organisms based on numerical values given to a particular character of an organism.
Following are steps for numerical classification:
1. The individual observable characters of the organisms are selected such as morphology, anatomy, etc.
2. All the observed characters of the organism are assigned with codes and numbers.
3. The codes and numbers given to different characters of an organism are analyzed with the help of computers.
4. The organisms bearing similar characteristics are classified into one group while the organisms possessing differentiating characters are kept in the other group.
Example: Let us say, we need to classify a single group of birds into different groups based on a single character, say color. We assign the number 1 to a red-colored bird; 2 to a blue-colored bird and 3 to a brown colored bird. Here the numbers represent the color characteristics of the bird. These numbers are then processed by a computer, which then analyses the numbers and classifies the birds into three different groups. Similarly, more than one character and sub-characters can be assigned different numbers and codes.

Note: Taxonomy is a functional science which deals with the identification, nomenclature, and classification of different kinds of organisms all over the world. More than a hundred characters of an organism can be analyzed at the same time with the help of numerical taxonomy and the data can be stored in the computer for a longer duration and can be used again wherever needed.