Binomial nomenclature

As nomenclature is called in biology, the discipline of the scientific naming of organisms. It represents within the scientific basis for an internationally understandable and verifiable communication about organisms dar. The rules of nomenclature only specify the wording. The definition and recognition of the systematic units themselves (taxonomy ) and their hierarchy and relationship (classification) are independent.

Given their importance, it is therefore taken in strict rules, so-called codes. For the various groups of organisms ( plants, including fungi and algae, animals, bacteria, viruses ) each have their own, independent nomenclature rules exist.

Origin of biological nomenclature

First scientific works about plants and animals were printed from about 1550, biological science in the modern sense of empirical studies was operated from about 1670, for example, by Maria Sibylla Merian. From then on, the number of known species increased rapidly to several thousand, what an effective system of biological Artnamensgebung made ​​it necessary. Based on previous approaches led Carl Linnaeus (even Carl Nilsson Linnæus ) in 1753, a system for naming species of plants, which he wore in 1758 on animal species. This system differed from previous systems is that a generic name only a single species name has been added.

Previously existed very long style name, for example: " The on the large thistles persons present sign -Kefer " ( August Johann Roesel Rosenhof, 1749), according to Linnaeus it became a clear VIBEX Cassida Linnaeus, 1767th

Until this idea had prevailed internationally, it took about 40 years.

The convention of a priority rule has been accepted relatively early: If a species has been repeatedly described scientifically, the first name has priority. Not until 1842 was initiated rules set down in writing (the " Strickland Code " of the British Association for the Advancement of Science), which first were a variety of rules and regulations for different groups of organisms and various nations in use. Internationally accepted rules, there were in 1895, when the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature was established. By establishing strict, but different sets of rules botanical and zoological rules for naming drifted apart permanently.

Form of the name

The scientific name of a species consists of two words: the first word refers to the genus, the second word is in botany called the Style epithet ( the epithet specificum ) in Zoology from the species name (specific name) is spoken. The two words form the species name ( zoology: the name of the type, name of the species), which should be assigned to only one type; An example of this is the scientific name of the species of anatomically modern humans: Homo sapiens.

The genus name is written with a capital letter and is optionally latinisiertes noun in the nominative singular ( in zoology, it is sufficient if the name is reasonably pronounceable in any language ).

The Style epithet in botany is usually written in small letters and is a Latin adjective or noun or latinisiertes in the nominative singular or a noun in the genitive. An adjective must follow the generic name the grammatical gender and is also adjusted accordingly when changing the genre.

In zoology, the species name is always written in small ( even at the beginning of a sentence ), one in any language reasonably pronounceable letter combination of at least two letters suffice. Is the species name is a Latin adjective or latinisiertes, this will be adjusted in most animal groups the gender of the genus name.

The printed text should be italicized scientific name of species and genera.

Botany

For the scientific names of plant species, genera, families and other taxonomic ranks that by Carolus Linnaeus in 1753 justified in his work Species Plantarum binary naming system is used today by the " International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants" ( ICN / ICNafp ) - up to 2011 " International Code of Botanical nomenclature " ( ICBN ) - is regulated.

For plant species of the genus name and the species epithet may not be identical; the name Linaria linaria would for example not allowed ( see Tautonym ). In name below the supraspecific the name of the rank must be called (usually an abbreviation: subspecies ⇒ ". Subsp " ( formerly ". Ssp " ), variety ⇒ " var ", Forma ⇒ " f " ) - this is in contrast for zoological nomenclature. The particular abbreviation is not italicized; Example: " Stachys recta subsp. grandiflora ".

For full name includes the author's abbreviation of the name, which is often written in small caps and not italic (eg Anchusa officinalis L.; " L. " here is the standard abbreviation for " Linnaeus " (see above) ). When a species is later awarded a different genus (→ Umkombination ), the author of the Basionyms is still listed in brackets (eg Anchusa arvensis (L.) M.Bieb; . Linnaeus thus described the type ( as Lycopsis arvensis) from Bieberstein it nevertheless then placed in a different genus ). This double citation of author names is not allowed in the zoological nomenclature.

Zoology

For the scientific names of species, genera or families which in 1758 published by Carl Linnaeus work Systema Naturæ was chosen as the starting point. The naming is controlled today by the International Regulations for Zoological Nomenclature ( ICZN Code ).

A species name consists of two parts ( genus and species ); these form the overall name that may refer to only a particular species in zoology. Genera, families and still higher groups consist of only a single name, which always begins with a capital letter. Species names begin with a lowercase letter.

Within a genus species must have different names; to use the same names of species in different genera is permitted. In contrast to the botany of the genus name and the species name can be identical ( Tautonymie, such as owl: Bubo bubo) in zoology.

Within the zoological Binominalnomenklatur are still possible:

• To specify the name of the subspecies, the lowercase behind the species name (eg Homo erectus pekinensis )
• To specify the name of the subgenus, which is written in braces between the genus and species names of the (eg Helix ( Cornu ) aspersa, the Spotted Snail )

Outside and within scientific contexts, other names constructions are used, to which the code of zoological nomenclature does not apply (that is, those names are not regulated by the code):

• The naming of varieties and forms (eg color morphs of butterflies ) or cultivated forms or other units below subspecific rank by the addition of another lower-case name and the name var for variety or forma for the form. The term variety is not more used in zoology, older names described as varieties, however, are available and can be used by later editors as the name of species or subspecies. For example, the freshwater snail Bithynia troscheli described by Carl Agardh Westerlund var sibirica sibirica described later as a kind of Bithynia ( Westerlund ).
• The naming of hybrids. Thus, for example, the name Equus Mulus Erxleben not a valid name for the mule, which was crossed from a horse (Equus caballus ) and donkeys (Equus asinus ). The appointment shall be made instead in the form of a hybrid formula by specifying the species names of both parents (Equus caballus x asinus ). In plants, the description of hybrids according to the code of botanical nomenclature is allowed, but not recommended without reservation.

Naming

The names are usually assigned by the researchers that the way the first time scientifically describe ( first description ). There are both in botany and zoology in a few special cases where the description has already been published previously and without proper attribution - in these cases the species name of the person is attributed to that first introduced the name correctly.

To establish by specifying the original source of a name greater uniqueness of the names use in the scientific literature, the author's name is appended to the scientific name. In botany, the author name will usually standardized according to Brummitt & Powell (1982 ) and the International Plant Names Index abbreviated while abbreviations are undesirable in zoology. If a species today in a different genus than the one in which it was originally described, author and year in parentheses. The abbreviation initials for the first name of the author are often then to put in some animal groups, if there were other authors of the same surname in the same group of animals (although nowhere uniform Kritieren be applied ). These initials are in the biodiversity computer science undesirable, are not used in zoological nomenclature code and should not be used generally.

Criteria for the naming

The name of the genus and species-group are often of a particular feature (such as color, size, behavior ) derived from the place of discovery or from a personal name, but it is frowned upon to name the new species after himself.

Consider an agent multiple names as synonyms of the same species, the eldest available name has priority (priority principle).

See also: List of bizarre scientific names in biology - the principle of freedom of the author to assign the name, if no fundamental rules are violated

International rules for nomenclature

Today, the following standards (nomenclature codes) are accepted:

• Plants (including fungi and cyanobacteria ): International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi and plants ( ICN)
• Animals: International Rules for Zoological Nomenclature ( ICZN or IRZN )
• Bacteria: International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria ( ICNB )
• Crops: International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (ICNCP )
• Viruses: International Code of Virus Classification and Nomenclature ( ICVCN )

In the 1990s suggested, but so far without acceptance, PhyloCode and BioCode. The BioCode should like to introduce a unified system of nomenclature for all organisms with the exception of viruses, so replace the systems ICBN, IRZN, ICNB and ICNCP. The PhyloCode is intended to provide rules for the designation of all standing on the type hierarchical groupings.

Problems in the unification of existing systems of nomenclature prepare the not so few cases in which the same scientific genus name has been used both in the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom. For example, is the generic name Oenanthe in the plant kingdom water fennel ( Apiaceae ), in the animal kingdom, the wheatear (birds, Muscicapidae ). Other generic names are used twice Alsophila, Ammophila, arenaria, inter alia, the ICZN recommends (Recommendation 1a) not to award such duplicate names for newly described species.