Question

The term phylum in taxonomy was given by
a. John Roy
b. G. L. Cuvier
c. L. Linnaeus
d. Lamark

Answer 1

Hint: Taxonomy is defined as the study of the classification of plants and animals and their evolutionary relationship. The living organisms can be classified into different taxa. Phylum is a taxonomic rank is placed above kingdom and below class.

Complete answer:
The classification of organisms is not a single step process. In it hierarchy of many steps are involved where each step represents a rank or category. Because the category is part of the overall taxonomic arrangement. It is called a taxonomic category and all categories together form taxonomic hierarchy. Each category basically represents a rank and usually called a taxon.

Various taxonomic categories are:
- Species: It is a group of individuals in plants as well as animals which resemble each other closely in structure and function and can reproduce among themselves.
- Genus: It forms a taxonomic category higher than species. It is a group of closely related species.
- Family: It is a number of genera having several common characters.
- Orders: A number of families having common characters are placed in an order.
- Class: It is a basic category. Similar orders are placed together in a class.
- Phylum: Many classes with common characters are included in a Phylum. The term division is used for this in case of plants. This term was coined by G. L. Cuvier.
- Kingdom: It is the highest category of taxonomic studies.

The taxonomic classification of an organism is done in the following four steps:
- Characterization.
- Identification.
- Classification.
- Nomenclature.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: Taxonomic knowledge about an organism is based on their morphology, cytology, embryology, fossils and ecological relationship. Classification involves the ordering of organisms into groups based on all this information.