Why is binomial nomenclature useful to biologists

Cell Division 2: Molecular Biology 1. Metabolic Molecules 2. Water 3. Protein 5. Enzymes 6. Cell Respiration 9. Photosynthesis 3: Genetics 1. Genes 2. Chromosomes 3. Meiosis 4. Inheritance 5. Genetic Modification 4: Ecology 1. Energy Flow 3.

Carbon Cycling 4. Climate Change 5: Evolution 1. Evolution Evidence 2. Natural Selection 3. Scientific names are often descriptive also, suggesting something about the animal. For instance, longear sunfishes have long and conspicuous operculum flaps a hardened structure extending from the gill flap , making them look like they have long ears. The specific name, megalotis , means "big ears. Myotis keenii , "Keen's mouse-eared bat," is named after a gentleman named Keen Myotis means "mouse-eared".

They may also contain references to regions where the species are found, such as southern right whales , Eubalaena australis , which translates to "southern true-baleen. Unlike scientific names, common names are not unique. As a result, common name usage can lead to confusion about what animal is being referred to and what their relationships are to other animals.

An example are "badgers. Although they are all called "badgers" and they are all members of the same mammalian family, they are not each other's closest relatives. There are many examples of confusing and redundant common names, just remember that you can't rely on the common name to tell you anything about the animal's evolutionary history. Taxonomy, the science and process of naming living organisms, is a field that is constantly changing.

When our scientific understanding of animal species and their relationships changes, it may mean that scientific names change as well. For example, all small cat species were once included in the genus Felis. They have since been split into multiple genera in order to better represent important evolutionary differences among them.

Bobcats were once known by the scientific name, Felis rufus , this name has since been changed to Lynx rufus. Unfortunately, older scientific literature on bobcats will still be found under Felis rufus and some sources may not recognize the name change right away.

Some species have come to be known by multiple scientific names. Binomial nomenclature is often accompanied by the name of the discoverer and date of the discovery of the said organism to create even more specificity. For example, instead of simply saying a "common limpet," a scientist might say "Patella vulgata, Linnaeus, " to more readily describe the organism in question.

Cultivars, which are organisms that result from human-influenced mutations, are indicated with the scientific name followed by "cv" and the name of the strain, or simply the name of the strain in single quotes. An example would be Astrophytum myriostigma cv. Scientific names are prone to change as scientific understanding of certain organisms changes. Some genera may be split into larger subgroups to accommodate for more specific biological differences. For example, all cats were once under the genus name Felis, but the genus of Lynx has been created for bobcats to indicate more specificity.

Some organisms are given multiple scientific names, which are known as synonyms. Lasiurus borealis and Nycteris borealis, for example, are the same organism. However, delayed adoption of the current name Nycteris borealis means that the former name is still in use.

Brenton Shields began writing professionally in His work includes film reviews that appear for the online magazine Los Angeles Chronicle.