The beauty of a galloping horse, migratory birds, a field of flowers, or an aggressive shark inspires amazement and a deep sense of adventure. The ecological struggle and cooperation among members of a population and diverse populations within a community and the molecular traffic inside a cell sometimes cause us to wonder what life truly is. Life is a one-of-a-kind, complex assemblage of molecules that manifests itself through chemical processes that result in growth, development, response, adaptation, and reproduction.

Growth, reproduction, and the ability to sense the environment are all unique properties of living beings. Growth is a natural process that occurs in all living things. Other features that distinguish a live organism include:

• • Metabolism is an essential feature of all living things.

  • One of the most important aspects of life forms is the cellular organisation of the body.

  • Consciousness is another distinguishing property of a living being.

Firstly, everyone around you needs to breathe, be well, and be happy. Being alive consists of living. Living things can grow, move, reproduce, be conscious, breathe, and perform numerous cellular operations, indicating various life processes.

Cells are structures found in living organisms that allow them to develop and move. They conduct metabolism, which includes both anabolic and catabolic responses.

Living organisms have a finite lifespan and are not immortal. Through the process of reproduction, they can produce a new life that is of their kind. Living things acquire and fulfil their nutritional needs through nutrition and digestion, which entails absorbing and digesting food.

Excretion is the process through which digested food is removed from the body.

In some way or the other, all living things move. This might be evident, as in the fact that animals can walk. It can also be subtle, as in plants that have sections that move as they track the movement of the light.

The earth is ruled by an abundance of living things that live on land, in water, on ice, in deserts, and so on. Every living entity is distinct in terms of form, bodily functions, genetic make-up, and so on. Living organisms in various environments have diverse structural organs or functions that have evolved in response to the conditions of their environment, i.e., organisms always develop to adapt to their changing surroundings, sometimes completely. For instance, humans descended from apes. But they no longer resemble each other in any manner. Biodiversity refers to the various types and classifications of organisms that live in multiple habitats. Warm and humid regions have more diverse species. This phenomenon is referred to as mega-biodiversity. 

Furthermore, each individual is distinct from the next. Every person has a unique skin tone, hair colour, eye colour, and, most importantly, genetic make-up. This means that each person's genes are unique.

As a result, to improve identification, we have developed groups of organisms that seem similar and share some functional and structural similarities.

Each category is referred to as a taxon, which is a unit of classification or rank. A taxon is a general name for a group of similar and genetically-linked individuals in systematic classification. 

Examples of a taxon at the "kingdom" level

• • Animalia.

  • Plantae.

  • Protista.

  • Fungi.

They have distinct characteristics from other groups. For example, all insects belong to a taxonomic group because they share specific characteristics that set them apart from other groups. The term 'category' is an amorphous term that merely denotes a rank or degree. A taxon is a biological item that belongs to a category. When classifying an organism into a taxon, we should have a basic understanding of the individual group's characteristics.

Classification is the process of grouping organisms based on their genetic similarity. The groupings that share characteristics are combined to form larger groups. Similarly, taxonomic categories are the many levels or ranks of categorization grouping.

The kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species are the seven major groupings. The category is a term that denotes a rank or level.

Species

A species is a group of inbreeding populations that reproduce naturally from one another. It has the smallest taxonomic features. It comprises individuals who share core characteristics but can be separated from other closely related species by morphological differences.  Different species include:

• • Humans (Homo sapiens).

  • Moose (Alces alces).

  • Black bears (Ursus Americans).

  • Jack pines (Pinus banksiana).

Genus

A genus is a group of species that are similar in basic organizational aspects but differ in detail. A genus' species share a common ancestor. This could explain their close resemblances. For example, the genus Equus contains various species, such as caballus for horses.

Family

A family is a group of species belonging to the same genus. In comparison to genus and species, they have a smaller number of similarities. Families are defined by plant species' vegetative and reproductive characteristics, like the three genera Solanum, Petunia, and datura, all Solanaceae family members, and all animals, for example, all animals dogs all dog-like animals (wolves, fox).

Order

An order is a collection of linked families that share a few characteristics. Plant families such as Convolvulaceae and Solanaceae, for example, are placed in the same order, primarily depending on floral features. Felidae and Canidae are both members of the Carnivora order of mammals.

Class

In biology, a class is a taxonomic rank below phylum and above order in the scientific classification of life. The class is a collection of orders that are connected. Dogs, for example, are classified as Mammalia, with Chordata (animals having notochords) as their phylum and Carnivora as their order (mammals that eat meat).

Phylum

A phylum is a collection of related animal classes. Because of a notochord (primitive beginning of backbone) and a dorsal hollow nerve cord, birds and mammals belong to the same phylum, Chordata. In-plants, classes with a few comparable features are grouped in a higher category called division.

Kingdom

In biological taxonomy, the kingdom is the highest level. It is a collection of organisms that are closely linked.

When classifying an organism into a particular taxon, we should have a basic understanding of the characteristics of the individual group.

The collections of samples or preserved creatures that help in research identify taxonomic hierarchies are known as taxonomical aids. 

This is essential since taxonomic categorisation helps identify numerous creatures required in various domains like agriculture, industries, bioresources, etc.

The key source that helps us study the relative level of a group of organisms, their taxonomic hierarchy, and taxonomic rank is taxonomic aid.

Taxonomical aids are necessary for the following tasks:

• • Taxonomic studies of numerous plant, animal, and other organism species need precise classification and identification.

  • Zoos and zoological gardens.

  • Botanic gardens.

What is the Living World in Biology Class 11?

The living world refers to the various creatures found in our surroundings, their growth, the various forms of nutrients they possess, and their various metabolic activities. The living world is also defined as a place where all living species can be found.

 

What is the hierarchy of taxonomy categories?

The seven major taxonomic ranks are kingdom, phylum or division, class, order, family, genus, and species. Furthermore, domain (introduced by Carl Woese) is now frequently used as a fundamental rank, even though it is not specified in any nomenclature regulations and is a synonym for dominion.

 

What are the essential concepts covered in Chapter 1 of NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Biology?

This chapter introduces the learner to a wide range of natural flora and fauna. It discusses taxonomic categories and tools. Students are introduced to the vital concept of genus and species taxonomy. They are brought into the fascinating realm of living beings, where they learn previously unknown facts about their habitat and habits. They are also taught about biodiversity and why it is critical to preserve it.