Modern System of Living Organisms Classification

In addition to conventional physical traits, the modern method of organism categorization is based on evolutionary connections and makes use of molecular data, particularly DNA sequencing:

1. Three Domains: In modern system of classification living organisms are classified into three classes: Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya.
2. Phylogenetic: On the basis of RNA and DNA sequences phylogenetic evolutionary relationships has been shown.
3. Taxonomic ranks: Different organisms are classified into domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species.
4. Binomial nomenclature: It includes the scientific naming of organism that includes genus and species.
5. Monophyletic groups: Since taxonomic groupings have a single ancestor and all of its progeny, they are intended to be monophyletic.
6. International codes: International authorities like International Codes of Nomenclature for fungi, plants and algae and International Codes of Zoological Nomenclature give SOP for naming and classification of organisms.
7. Modern kingdoms: Major categories including Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, and Protista are included in the kingdom level categorization of the domain Eukarya.
8. Phylogenetic trees: Phylogenetic trees like cladogram shows evolutionary relationship between organisms.
9. Bioinformatics: Large scale molecular data sets used for categorization require careful management and analysis, which requires significant advancements in bioinformatics and information technology.
10. Dynamic nature: Based on recent scientific findings, classification is constantly evolving and susceptible to change.

Also Read: Difference Between Phylum and Class

Living organisms are classified for many reasons such as organizing diversity, nomenclature, understanding of the evolutionary relationship between organisms, identifying characteristics, conservation, and biodiversity of organisms, for education and research purposes and their applications in different fields. Living organisms are classified because the major purposes of classifying living organisms are to prevent misunderstanding, facilitate the study of living organisms, and reveal the relationships between different living organisms.