AIPMT-NEET Biology Aspirants, read out the next AIPMT-NEET Biology Study material/ Notes on Taxonomy and Systematics. Taxonomy and systematics are two ways of classification of organisms. Important for AIPMT-NEET Biology. Free online notes for AIPMT-NEET.

There are large varieties of living organisms in this world and each organism has its specific characteristics, like plants and animals (if we talk in broad way). We use characteristics of these organisms to identify them. Biologists use these characters to classify the living organisms.

Different schools of thought have different basis of classifying the organisms. So, Classification is the process by which anything is grouped into convenient categories based on some easily observable characters.

• Systematics and taxonomy are two disciplines of biology used for classification of organisms.
• Systematic is a broader area than taxonomy, and taxonomy can be said as a part of systematics.
• Systematics is defined as that process of classification in which kinds and diversity of organisms is studied on the basis of relationships among them. It is defined by Simpson.
• Word Systematics is derived from the Latin word ‘systema’ which means systematic arrangement of organisms. Linnaeus used Systema Naturae as the title of his publication.
• Systematics use evolutionary relationships among organisms for classification.
• In systematics, grouping of organisms is done by placing more-related animals together.
• Some biologists consider systematics as first part of classification and second as taxonomy, while others use these two processes interchangeably to describe complete process of classification.
• Taxonomy is derived from two Greek words, i.e. taxis means ‘arrangement’ and homos means ‘law’.
• Taxonomy is basically a process of classification which deals with application of different names to each of the different kind of organisms. It is done by categorization of organisms in different categories, and these categories are called as taxa.
• Taxonomy use external structure of organism, internal structure of cell, development process of organism, ecological information of organism, etc. for classification of organisms.
• Both systematics and taxonomy are used for identification, nomenclature and classification of organisms but  taxonomy provides highly ordered nomenclature of organisms than systematics.
• Systematics use evolutionary relation among organisms for classification while taxonomy does not.