An Overview Of Binomial Nomenclature And Its Rules

In Biology, the nomenclature is the system used to name organisms. The rules for naming organisms are governed by the international code of nomenclature. These codes provide guidelines for assigning scientific names to organisms. It also includes rules for naming new species and higher taxonomic groups.

Binomial nomenclature, also known as binary nomenclature, is a standardized system used for naming living organisms using two Latin words.

International Code Of Nomenclature

The International Code of Nomenclature is a set of rules and guidelines for naming organisms in the field of biology. These rules have been developed by international committees of experts. The code is regularly revised and updated. The International Code of Nomenclature is an important tool for biologists to provide a standardized system for referring to and identifying different species. Different (same to some extent) codes are being used in the field of Botany, Zoology, and Microbiology.

• The Linnaeus code is the system of rules for naming organisms that was proposed by Linnaeus in his book “Philosophia Botanica” in 1751. Later, Alphonse de Candolle proposed a code for plants at the First International Botanical Congress in Paris in 1867, leading to the adoption of the Paris Code of 1867. This code was updated several times, culminating in the current International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, which was adopted in Vienna in 2005.
• On the zoological side, various countries had their own codes of nomenclature, but in 1899 a draft of an international code was proposed and later adopted by the Fifth International Congress of Zoology in 1901. This code was published in 1905 under the auspices of the Sixth Congress, and the current version is the fourth edition of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, published in 1999 by the International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature.
• Bacteriologists also had their own code, International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria, which was first adopted in 1930 and revised in 1990. The International Code of Virus Classification and Nomenclature was adopted in 2002.

Need of Nomenclature

There are three reasons for giving a scientific name to organisms:

• Common names for the same organism: People gave common names to plants and animals from the earliest times. There was no system for choosing names for the organisms. In many cases, various regions had the same plant or animal names.

For example:

Piyaz is the name of an Onion in Urdu. But in different regions of Pakistan, it is known as ganda or basal, or vassal. Similarly, it has different names in different countries. . Similarly, amaltas, argvad, gurmala, golden shower, and purging cassia are common names of the same plant.

• Single name for different organisms: In some cases, a single name is given to several different plants and animals. For example:

Dozen of plants with bell-shaped flowers are named bluebells. The name blackbird is given to the crow and raven.

• Common name without scientific basis: Common name has no scientific basis. Fish is a vertebrate animal. It has a backbone, fins, and gills. Silverfish,  crayfish, jellyfish, and starfish do not fit in the definition of fish.

Binomial Nomenclature

Common names cause confusion. Carlos Linnaeus (1707-1778) was a Swedish botanist, who introduced a system for naming and classifying organisms. It is called binomial nomenclature. His system is used today internationally for the common names of plants. He gave each plant a specific name. He took scientific names from Latin words. Linnaeus published the list of names of plants in 1753. The scientific name of each plant has two names.

These names are referred on the basis of:

• Some characteristics of the organism
• The person who collected it.

His system rapidly became popular. Thus he later used it for naming animals. He published the list of names of animals in 1758. Many of his names are used today.

Rules Of Naming

Linnaeus’s system of giving each species a scientific name comprising two words is known as binomial nomenclature. There are the following rules for naming a specie under binomial nomenclature:

• The first name refers to the genus (plural genera). It is called a generic name. It always begins with a capital letter.
• The second name is of a specific name. It follows the generic name. It begins with a small letter.

Examples of Binomial Nomenclature:

The scientific names of some species are given below:

• Onion: Allium cepa
• Amaltas: Cassia fistula Man: Homo sapiens
• Potato: Solanum tuberosum Brinjal: Solanum melangena

There is the same generic name for both potato and brinjal. It shows a close relationship between these two species. Every species has only one scientific name all over the world. Initially, classification was based on the appearance or morphology of plants and animals. But there was advancement in cytology (study of the cell), physiology, genetics, and molecular biology. Thus the classification of organisms has been modified.

Latest Research About Binomial Nomenclature

• Scientists conducted a study on biology textbooks used in schools in Malang City and found conceptual, principal, and scientific name errors in closed seed plant topics. Teachers should understand the topic and correct mistakes found in textbooks to avoid misconception in students. [1]

• Scientists recommend using the Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants to name the vast variety of tomato cultivars, as it provides a more appropriate framework for breeding-generated diversity. This approach would standardize the naming and exchange of tomato cultivars on a global scale. [2]