Illustrate the taxonomical hierarchy with suitable examples of a plant and an animal.
Taxonomical hierarchy refers to the arrangement of various taxonomic categories in a definite order from lowest to highest rank. The main categories in ascending order are: Species, Genus, Family, Order, Class, Phylum (for animals) or Division (for plants), and Kingdom.
Species is the lowest category for all organisms, including plants and animals. Each rank or taxon represents a unit of classification. These taxonomic groups are distinct biological entities and not merely morphological aggregates.
For animals, an example can be traced from Kingdom Animalia. Animals with notochord and dorsal hollow neural system are placed in Phylum Chordata. Within this, Class Mammalia includes organisms like dogs and cats. Thus, the hierarchy shows: Species → Genus → Family → Order → Class → Phylum → Kingdom.
For plants, the term Division is used instead of Phylum. For example, Wheat represents a taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Classes with similar characters are assigned to a higher category called Division. The Kingdom Plantae comprises all plants from various divisions.
Thus, taxonomical hierarchy helps in systematic classification of organisms from species to kingdom in ascending order.
Explanation
The answer draws from the textbook context which establishes the taxonomical categories (kingdom, phylum/division, class, order, family, genus, species) in ascending order. The context mentions wheat as a plant example, insects and mammals (dogs, cats) as animal examples, Phylum Chordata for animals with notochord, Division for plants, and Kingdom Animalia/Plantae as highest categories. The context explicitly states species is the lowest category and Figure 1.1 shows ascending order from species to kingdom.
Solution Steps
Step 1: Define taxonomical hierarchy and list categories in ascending order
Step 2: Explain that species is the lowest category and each taxon represents a unit of classification
Step 3: Illustrate with animal example - Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata, Class Mammalia (dogs/cats)
Step 4: Illustrate with plant example - Kingdom Plantae, Division, and mention wheat as a taxa
Step 5: Conclude with the purpose of hierarchy in classification