Question

How is the classification of living things organised?

Answer 1

Classification is the scientific ordering of organisms like bacteria, fungi plants and animals in a hierarchical series of groups on the basis of their relationships, morphology, anatomy, physiology, etc.

Complete answer:
-Biological classification is important because it makes the study of organisms convenient. It also facilitates identification of organisms. It reveals the relationship among the various groups of organisms and also enables the balances to interpret the early visible structures of causal organisms. Biological classification is also used to reveal evolutionary trends by showing gradually increasing complexity of structure in the various groups of organisms.
-In classification, the organisms that closely resemble one another are placed in a group, the groups which have similarities are combined together into larger groups and these into still larger ones. The various grouping levels or ranks in classifications are known as taxonomic categories. Each category has a name and is allotted a certain taxon.
-Taxon is a general term for a grouping in a systematic classification of an organism whatever its rank. Unnatural taxon refers to a group of similar, genetically related individuals having certain characters distinct from those of other groups. For example all the insects form a taxon. The degree of relationship and of similarity is within the rank of the taxon.
-There are seven major categories- phylum, class, order, family, genus and species.

Note: A taxon that includes a common ancestral species and all the species descended from it is called a monophyletic taxon. Many taxes in use today include organisms evolving from many sources but not a common one and such taxa are said to be polyphyletic.