To ensure all scientists are referring to the same organism, a universal and binomial system of naming is used. The species are given Latin names. A binomial system was devised by Linnaeus.The first name is the generic name and describes the genus.The second name is the specific name and is unique for each species.The names are printed in italics or underlined if handwritten. The first letter of the generic name is in uppercase and the species name is in lowercase. e.g. Homo sapiens. This can be abbreviated to H. sapiens.
Binomial System of Naming
Read the text
Read the text and highlight anything you think is important. When you go on, the text is hidden and you answer from memory.
Specification: AQA Biology (7401), AS-level, 3.4.5 Species and taxonomy. Topic: Biodiversity.
Key terms in this lesson
- species
- A group of organisms with similar characteristics that can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.
More in Biodiversity
All 33 lessons in Biodiversity · All AQA AS-level Biology topics