Question

What is modern taxonomy?

Answer 1

Taxonomy or Systematics is the name for the field of biology that studies the types of species, their relationships to one another, and their evolutionary history.

Complete answer:
Modern taxonomy, also known as biosystematics, is a branch of systematics that identifies taxonomic affinity based on evolutionary, genetic, and morphological characteristics. The typological concept has been abandoned. Every category is the result of a process of evolution. As a result, rather than studying a few specimens, entire populations are studied. As a result, population systematics is another name for modern taxonomy. Modern taxonomy brings out phylogenetic classification or classification based on evolutionary relationships or lineages.

Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish scientist, is credited with inventing our modern taxonomy and classification method in the 18th century. Linnaeus was a leading naturalist during the 18th century, when natural history was regarded as one of the most prestigious fields of science.Apart from morphological characteristics, modern taxonomy considers all aspects of organisms, including genetic constituents, cellular structure, phylogenetic relationship, mode of nutrition, reproduction, and so on. Cytotaxonomy, numerical taxonomy, and chemotaxonomy are examples of modern taxonomic development.

Thus, the study of the types of organisms, their relationships to one another, and their evolutionary history is known as modern taxonomy in biology.

Note: The number of new branches of systematics have emerged – cytotaxonomy, chemotaxonomy, numerical taxonomy, experimental taxonomy, etc. they employ data available from cytology, biochemical studies, serology, molecular biology, comparative study of behaviour, experiments and of late computers for evaluation of relationships.