Binomial System
- A species is a group of organisms that are able to reproduce to produce fertile offspring
- Binomials are the scientific names given to individuals species
- Binomials consist of the organism’s genus and species name in modern Latin
- For example, the binomial for humans is Homo sapiens and the binomial for dogs is Canis familiaris
- Binomials are extremely useful for scientists as they allow for species to be universally identified - the binomial for a species is the same across the entire globe
Naming species
- Species are often given common names, but these common names are often differ between countries and do not always translate directly between different languages
- In order to avoid confusion about what group of organisms scientists are talking about, all species are given a two-part scientific name using the binomial system
- This naming convention was developed and established by the Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus in the 18th Century
- The binomial name is always italicized in writing (or underlined if it is not possible to italicise)
- For example:
- The most commonly known yeast is Saccharomyces cerevisiae
- It is common to abbreviate the genus name (e.g. S. cerevisiae)
- Saccharomyces paradoxus is another species of that is a member of the same genus as cerevisiae
Exam Tip
The binomial for a species is always typed in italics or underlined when handwritten. The genus name should have a capital letter but the species name should not.
