Question

Which one of the following includes all the other lower taxa?
A) Class
B) Order
C) Genus
D) Species

Answer 1

Taxa means rank in taxonomy. The taxa or taxonomic rank is very much important for the classification of organisms. The highest rank in the taxonomy is domain followed by kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and the lowest in the species.

Complete answer:
Taxonomy is the branch of biology which deals with the classification, identification and naming of organisms based on their characteristics. The classification is done on the basis of the taxonomic ranks in which the higher taxa comprise broader characteristics or similarities.

Let us discuss the taxonomic ranks-
Domain- It is the highest rank. It includes three domains- Archaea, Eukarya and Bacteria
Kingdom- It is the second-highest category which includes all the phyla. There are five kingdoms- Animalia, Protista, Plantae, Fungi, Monera
Phylum- It is the third rank in which all the similar classes are placed.
Class- It is present below the phylum and above the order. The organisms placed in a similar class have a maximum similarity. It includes the features of lower taxa like order, family, genus and species.

Thus, the correct answer is option ‘A’.

Note: Carolus Linnaeus is known as the father of taxonomy. He put forward the method of naming the organisms on the basis of two names the genus and the species name. The genus is written first which is the rank that comprises all the similar species. Species is the lowest unit of classification. For example, Panthera tigris is the scientific name for tiger. Panthera is the genus and the Tigris is the species.