Tassonomie

Tassonomie, commonly rendered as taxonomy in English, is the branch of biology that concerns the naming, description, and classification of organisms. It provides a universal framework for identifying organisms and for organizing biodiversity into a hierarchical system of categories. The basic ranks are domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species, though many systems use additional categories such as sub- and super- ranks. A central practice is binomial nomenclature, in which each species is given a two-part Latin name consisting of its genus and species epithet.

Historically, taxonomy emerged from natural history and was systematized by Carl Linnaeus in the 18th century, who introduced the hierarchical classification and the binomial naming convention. Over time, the field broadened to systematics, which seeks to infer evolutionary relationships. With Darwin’s theory of evolution and later developments in phylogenetics, modern taxonomy aims to reflect evolutionary history rather than just similarity of appearance.

Today, taxonomy relies on morphological traits, ecological information, and increasingly molecular data from DNA and RNA sequencing. Methods such as phylogenetic inference and cladistics are used to propose monophyletic groups. Taxonomic work is dynamic; species concepts, discovery of cryptic species, and revision of names are common as new data emerge. Names and classifications are governed by international codes to ensure nomenclatural stability.