Taxonomical Aids , Zoological park and Biological concept of species proposed by

 

TAXONOMICAL AIDS

Taxonomic studies of various species of plants and animals are useful in agriculture, in forestry, in industry and in knowing our bio resources & their diversity.

Taxonomic studies require intensive laboratory and field work for correct identification. The collection of actual specimens of animal and plant species are essential and is the prime source of taxonomic studies.

Biologists have established certain procedures and techniques to store and preserve the information as well as the specimens. Some of these are explained here to help you understand the usage of these aids. Taxonomical aids are also fundamental and essential for training in systematics. 

 Herbarium :-

Herbarium is a store house or repository or dry garden of collected plant specimens that are dried, pressed and preserved on sheets.

These sheets are arranged according to universally accepted system of classification these specimens along with their description on herbarium sheets become store house or repository for future use.

Standard size of herbarium sheet is 11.5 x 16.5 inches. The herbarium sheets also carry a label providing information about date and place of collection, English, local and botanical names, family, collector's name etc. Herbarium is also known as dry garden. Herbarium is used as quick referral system.

 Botanical Gardens :-

Plant species in these gardens are grown for identification purposes and each plant is labelled indicating its botanical/scientific name and its family. The famous botanical garden are at Kew, Indian botanical garden, Howrah and at national botanical research institute, Lucknow.

 Biological Museum :-

Museum have collections of preserved plant and animal specimens for study and reference. Specimens are preserved in the containers or jars in preservative solutions. In the museums dried specimens of plants and animals are also kept. Insects are preserved in insect boxes after collecting, killing and pinning. Larger animals like birds and mammals are usually stuffed and preserved. Museums often have collections of skeletons of animals too.

 Zoological Parks :- These are the places where wild animals are kept in protected environments under human care and they enable us to learn about their food habits and behaviour. All animals in a zoo are provided, as far as possible, the conditions similar to their natural habitats.

 Key :-

Key is another taxonomical aid used for identification of plants and animals based on the similarities and dissimilarities

The keys are based on the contrasting characters, generally in a pair called couplet.

It represents the choice made between two opposite options.

Each statement in the key is called a lead. Keys are analytical in nature.

Separate keys are required for each taxonomic category, such as family, genus and species for identification purposes.

Flora, manuals, monographs and catalogues are same other means of recording descriptions. They also helps in correct identification.

 Flora - It contains actual account of habitat and distribution of plants of a particular area. These provide the index to the plant species found in a particular area.

 Catalogue - It is a small booklet which gives an account of the special books of botanical titles, full name of authors and their publication present in a given area. A list that enumerates methodically all the species found in an area with brief description aiding identification.

 Manuals - They are useful in providing information for identification of names of species found in an area.

 Monographs - They contain information on any one taxon.

 

SPECIES CONCEPT

This term proposed by John Ray

To explain the species different concepts were proposed.

(A) Biological concept of species :-

Ernst Mayr (Darwin of 20th century) proposed the biological concept of species. Group of members which can interbreed naturally and produce fertile progeny called biological species. When species is determined on the basis of interbreeding, then it is called "biological species".

 This concept cannot be applied in case of prokaryotes because they do not reproduce by sexual reproduction.

(B)Taxonomic concept of species :-

When the species is determined on the basis of morphological characters then it is called as taxonomic species.

A group of individuals having fundamental morphological similarities is known as taxonomic species.

Since conventional taxonomic methods are not suitable to describe species in case

microbes like prokaryotes hence many biochemical and biomolecular studies are used to identify them as species.