Question

In a taxonomy, the first step is
(a) Identification
(b) Nomenclature
(c) Classification
(d) None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: The term taxonomy is derived from Greek ‘taxis’, meaning 'arrangement', and ‘nomia’ meaning 'method'. It is defined as the science of naming an organism and defining and classifying organisms on the basis of shared characteristics.

Complete answer:
The first step in taxonomy is Identification. Organisms are grouped into different taxa and these groups are given a taxonomic rank. Different groups of given ranks are aggregated to form super- groups of higher rank. This creates a taxonomic hierarchy. identification of an organism is necessary to classify the organisms into different groups.
Steps in the taxonomic classification of an organism are - Identification - Classification - Characterization - Nomenclature
Taxonomical Hierarchy
- A taxon is a group of organisms that are classified as one unit. For example, all humans belong to one taxon at the species level since they are all the same species, but humans along with all other primates belong to another taxon at the order level, since all of them belong to the order Primata. - Species and orders are examples of taxonomic ranks, which are relative levels of grouping the organisms into a taxonomic hierarchy. - The taxonomic hierarchy has 8 different levels
- Domain - Kingdom - Phylum - Class - Order - Family - Genus - Species
So, the answer is ‘Identification’.

Note: - Many times the terms Taxonomy and systematics are used interchangeably.
- Taxonomy is the science of naming an organism and defining and classifying organisms on the basis of shared characteristics. - Systematics can be defined as the study of the identification, taxonomy, and the nomenclature of organisms. This includes the classification of all living organisms with regard to their natural inter- relationships and the study of variation and the evolution of particular taxa.