HOW TO CLASSIFY? Read the passage and answer the questions which follow.

It has been suggested that only 1 in 10 of the plant and animal species in the world have been
described and classified. Hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of new species are discovered and
described every year.
When a new organism is discovered, it is given a binomial. Taxonomists attempt to describe its
morphological characteristics, so that other biologists will be able to recognize it, and distinguish
it from other similar organisms. Further studies, however, may be required before it can finally
be decided whether the organism is a truly new species, or simply a morphological variant of a
species which is already known and named.
A large majority of known species, and of the new ones being discovered, are insects. Of these,
the beetles make up by far the largest group; one on four of all known species are beetles. In one
study in a Panamanian rain forest, it was found that nine individuals of the tree Luehea
seemannii had 1200 species of beetles living on them, of which 163 species were estimated to be
found only on that species of tree. As the number of tropical rain forest species is about 50,000, it
was calculated that there could be 8,150,000 different species of beetles found on those trees.
Simply describing large numbers of species would produce an unmanageable list. To handle such
large quantities of data, taxonomists must classify species. The earliest systems of classification
were artificial. Plants, for example, can be classified as edible, medicinal or poisonous. Modern
classification systems now attempt to classify organisms in a hierarchical, phylogenetic manner.
1. Define the following terms:
a. binomial (line 4);
A binomial is what is given to a new discovered organism. Its a generic name and the species
name.
b. hierarchical (line 18);
Hierarchical is a classification system in which it is organized in order of rank.

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2. When a new organism is discovered, further studies may be required before it can finally be
decided if it is a new species. Suggest what these studies might be. (Line 6)
Some studies that is required before the organism is characterized, as new specie is a
morphological study to see if the animal is not a variant from specie that has been discovered and
known, also a genetic profiling.
3. In what way is a phylogenetic classification system better than an artificial one?
The phylogenetic system, classifies organisms based on there assumed evolutionary history. An
artificial system orders organisms into groups, based on their non-evolutionary features.
4. a. In the Panamanian rain forest study, what assumptions have been made in calculating that
there may be 8,150,000 different species of beetles living on rain forest trees? (Lines 13-14)
The assumption that were made in calculating is that if in nine individual of the tree Luehea
seemannii they found 1200 species of beetles, were 163 species were estimated to be found
and if the number of tropical rain forest species is about 50,000, then proximately 8,150,000
species of beetles can be found in those trees.
b. Suggest one way in which this study could realistically be extended to give a more
reliable estimate of the number of beetle species in the rain forest.
A way in which the study could be extended to a more reliable estimate, would be to look at
other species of trees in the forest and a larger amount of trees studied, for the reason that in the
study only nine trees were tested, with a specific type of qualities, and it was assumed that the
specie represented all of the different types of trees.