Life Sciences 11 · Biology · Lesson 10.1
Taxonomy & binomial naming
- Level
- Grade 11
- Reading time
- 15 min reading
- Review
- Last reviewed 2026-09-03
- Standard
- Accuracy standard
- Errata
Abstract
The classification hierarchy and scientific names.
What is taxonomy and binomial nomenclature?
Short answer
Taxonomy is the science of naming and classifying living things into a nested hierarchy: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. Binomial nomenclature, devised by Linnaeus, gives every species a unique two-part Latin name — the genus followed by the species, such as Homo sapiens — so scientists worldwide refer to organisms unambiguously.
Concept preview
What you will be able to do
- 01Explain why biologists classify living things and why everyday common names are inadequate for science.
- 02List the eight taxonomic ranks in order and use a mnemonic to recall them.
- 03Apply the rules of binomial nomenclature to write scientific names correctly.
- 04Describe how the taxonomic hierarchy reflects evolutionary relatedness.
Life on Earth is staggeringly diverse: biologists have named roughly 1.5 million species, and they suspect that many millions more are still waiting to be discovered and described. Faced with such abundance, we need an orderly system for organising living things, and providing one is the job of taxonomy — the science of naming, describing and grouping organisms. Without it, biology would collapse into chaos. A single, shared, orderly system lets a scientist in Canada and a scientist in Kenya be sure they are discussing exactly the same organism, lets us predict the likely features of a newly found species from the group it falls into, and lets an enormous body of biological knowledge be stored and retrieved sensibly. Classification is far more than tidy book-keeping: it is a map of life that reveals hidden patterns, relationships and the deep history connecting every living thing.
School Plan
Taxonomy & binomial naming
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Related topics
Frequently asked questions
- What are the levels of classification?
- From broadest to narrowest: domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.
- Why use Latin names for species?
- A single, universal two-part name avoids the confusion of common names that differ by language and region.