Back to: Botany 100 Level
Hello, my brilliant Afrilearn scholar! Have you ever wondered why scientists use long, fancy names like Mangifera indica instead of just saying “mango tree”? Imagine going to different parts of Nigeria and hearing different names for the same fruit—mango is called “mangoro” in Yoruba, “mangwaro” in Hausa, and “ụtaba” in Igbo. If a scientist from another country hears these names, they might get confused. To avoid this, scientists created a universal naming system called binomial nomenclature.
Today, we’ll learn about binomial nomenclature and the contributions of Carl Linnaeus.
Binomial Nomenclature And The Contributions Of Linnaeus
What is Binomial Nomenclature?
Binomial nomenclature is a scientific system for naming living organisms using two Latin names: the genus and the species. It was developed by Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish scientist, in the 18th century.
For example, the scientific name of a lion is Panthera leo, where:
✅ Panthera = the genus (a group of related species)
✅ leo = the species (the specific name of the lion)
This system is used worldwide to ensure that every species has one unique and universally accepted name.
Contributions of Carl Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778) is known as the “Father of Modern Taxonomy”. His contributions include:
✅ Developing binomial nomenclature – He created the two-name system for naming organisms.
✅ Classifying organisms into hierarchical groups – He organised living things into Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species.
✅ Writing “Systema Naturae” – A book where he described thousands of species using his classification system.
✅ Standardising scientific names – His naming system is still used today with only minor changes.
Rules of Binomial Nomenclature
The scientific naming system follows strict rules to ensure consistency:
1️⃣ Each name has two parts – The genus name comes first, followed by the species name.
2️⃣ The genus starts with a capital letter, while the species is in lowercase – e.g., Homo sapiens (humans).
3️⃣ Names are written in italics (or underlined if handwritten) – e.g., Zea mays (maize).
4️⃣ Latin is used – Since Latin is no longer spoken, it remains unchanged across different languages.
5️⃣ Each species has a unique name – No two organisms share the exact same name.
Examples of Binomial Nomenclature
Here are some scientific names of common plants and animals:
Common Name
Scientific Name
Mango Tree
Mangifera indica
Maize
Zea mays
Cocoa Tree
Theobroma cacao
Human
Homo sapiens
Dog
Canis lupus
As you can see, binomial nomenclature makes it easier to identify species across different regions of the world.
Importance of Binomial Nomenclature
Binomial nomenclature is useful because:
✅ It prevents confusion – The same organism has one scientific name worldwide.
✅ It shows relationships – Organisms in the same genus are closely related.
✅ It helps in scientific research – Scientists can communicate clearly about species.
✅ It is universal – Used by scientists in all countries.
Summary of Key Points
Binomial nomenclature is a universal naming system using two Latin words: genus and species.
It was developed by Carl Linnaeus, the “Father of Modern Taxonomy.”
The scientific name consists of:
Genus (capitalised) + species (lowercase), e.g., Mangifera indica.
The names are italicised (or underlined if handwritten).
It prevents confusion and makes classification easier.
Evaluation Questions
- What is binomial nomenclature?
- Who developed the binomial naming system?
- What are the two parts of a scientific name?
- Why is Latin used in binomial nomenclature?
- Give two examples of binomial names of plants.
Fantastic job! Keep learning with Afrilearn, and I’ll see you in the next lesson!
School Admin? Grow your school faster with Africa's most trusted school management softwareGet more class notes, videos, homework help, exam practice on Android [DOWNLOAD]
Get more class notes, videos, homework help, exam practice on iPhone [DOWNLOAD]