subklasser

Subklasser, or subclasses, are terms used in two domains: object-oriented programming and biological taxonomy. In programming, a subclass is a class that derives from a base class (the superclass) and inherits its data and behavior. In biology, a subclass is a taxonomic rank below class and above order, used to group organisms within a class that share distinctive traits. The exact meaning depends on the context.

In programming, inheritance creates an is-a relationship: a Dog is a kind of Animal. Subclasses can reuse code from their superclasses, extend functionality by adding new members, and modify behavior by overriding inherited methods. They also participate in polymorphism, allowing code to treat objects of different subclasses as instances of the same superclass. Many languages support single inheritance with optional interfaces or mixins; others allow multiple inheritance. Good design practices emphasize the Liskov Substitution Principle, which states that objects of a subclass should be usable wherever objects of the superclass are expected, without altering expected behavior.

In taxonomy, a subclass subdivides the diversity within a class into narrower groups that share more specific features or evolutionary relationships. The rank is not used uniformly across all systems, but when present it helps clarify lineage and character traits. For example, historically the class Mammalia has been divided into subclasses such as Prototheria and Theria in some classifications; other systems may use different subdivisions or skip the rank altogether. Subklasser thus serve to organize complexity by introducing levels of specificity within a broader category.