Module 3 Intro

1. Module 3 Intro

1.12. Page 3

Lesson 2

Module 3—Ecosystems and Their Diversity

Read

binomial nomenclature: a system in which a two-word name (genus and species) is used to identify an organism

Reread the section about binomial nomenclature on page 88 of your textbook.

The binomial nomenclature system gives every species a specific two-part scientific name.

Self-Check

SC 3. Scientific names are in Latin. Why?

Check your work.

Self-Check Answer

SC 3. Latin is used for scientific names because it is not generally spoken by people in any country and is considered a "dead language" (not evolving), so the meanings of words will remain constant.

When forming an organism’s scientific name, remember that the genus is the first word (capitalized first letter) and the species name is the second word (lowercase first letter) of the two-part name (e.g., Homo sapiens).

scientific name: the genus and species name used together to identify an organism

In the following table you will notice that humans and the American robin are in the same domain, kingdom, and phylum but are in different classes. The scientific name for each is listed. You will noticed that it is made up of two names and written in italics—Genus species.

Two organisms are more closely related if they have more similarities in their classification.

This photo shows a diverse group of smiling young adults, composed of two males and two females.

A red-breasted robin is perched on a tree stump.

Human and Robin Classification
	Human	American Robin
Domain	Eukarya	Eukarya
Kingdom	Animalia	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata	Chordata
Class	Mammalia	Aves
Order	Primates	Passeriformes
Family	Hominidae	Turdidae
Genus	Homo	Turdus
Species	sapiens	migratorius
Scientific Name	Homo sapiens	Turdus migratorius

Watch and Listen

The animation that follows shows several species, their common names, and their scientific names. Note how the scientific name of an organism can describe its characteristics or where it lives.

Make a list of the characteristics that a robin and a human share for each classification level. List the characteristics they don’t share for the classification level at which they begin to be different. Place this list in your course folder for future reference.

Species Animation