Question

Father of taxonomy is
A) De Candolle
B) Hooker
C) Linnaeus
D) Aristotle

Answer 1

Hint: He wrote a book celled Systema Naturae: Creationis telluris est gloria Dei ex opere Naturae per Hominem solum - The Earth's creation is the glory of God and Species Plantarum.

Complete Answer:
- Carolus Linnaeus the Swedish botanist wrote a book named Species Plantarum,in which he explained the taxonomic classification in detail.
- He worked further on the field of taxonomy on the tracks of Aristotle. He gave worldwide acceptable organisms taxonomic division.
- Many biologists along with Aristotle left the taxonomic division after grouping genus, but Linnaeus took a step to bring out the base of genus classification and set a wider group[ called order] and hence this taxonomic classification system came into light.
- Where the kingdom is divided into phylums/divisions , which are further divided into classes, then orders and lastly genus followed by species.

Therefore the correct answer is option C, i.e. Carolus Linnaeus.

Additional information:
- Linnaeus coined the naming system of the organisms, he used a latin name to point the genus, which followed by a further differentiating name ‘species’.
- This naming system is called the Binomial system, which is the most widely accepted naming system. He published the book Species Plantarum (the Species of Plant) in two volumes in 1753, where the nomenclature described and he renamed Briar rose as Rosa canina.

Note:
- Aristotle initiates the study and questioning about existence, and is thus called ‘father of Science’. He tried to classify the organisms he classified as species and later as genus , but the work was left undone which was later continued by Linnaeus.
- De Candolle was the person who coined the term taxonomy in his book Theorie elementaire de la botanique (Elementary theory of botany), in 1813.
- Joseph Hooker was a british botanist, he founded the Geographical botany.