Why Is Classification Essential to Biology?

Types

• Classification in biology takes place on several different levels. The classification of living organisms into species, families, orders, etc., is called taxonomy. Biologists also classify cell components based on their characteristics and functions, and molecules like proteins and lipids based on their structures and properties.

Features

• Millions of known species exist on Earth; others are still waiting to be found. Cells in living organisms contain a diversity of structures and molecules that perform a wide variety of functions. To communicate concepts, biologists need a vocabulary that can distinguish between different types of organisms or structures, so classification is vital to communication in biology.

Function

• Classification helps biologists make sense of complex systems. By grouping species according to their characteristics, and components according to their properties, biologists can begin to illuminate some of the principles or relationships that underly these characteristics or properties, and thus better understand them. Newly discovered species, for example, are assigned to taxonomic groupings or categories in a way that reflects their likely evolutionary history.