02.12 | Sowe Fatou | Biology Taxonomists
Over the years Taxonomists have used a number of approaches to
try and classify the forms of life on this planet. Especially the
unicellular and unusual forms. There was the two kingdom system,
the 5 kingdom system (with Kingdom Monera), the 3 domain system
(that we are using in our class) and many other systems over the
centuries and some that are quite new and not yet universally
adopted. For your paper: research, summarize and review these
various taxonomic systems. Note why each system was proposed;
how it was meant to improve on a previous system and what criteria
were/are used to organize the various forms of life. Finally after
reviewing all the various approaches taken over the years suggest a
system of your own. What criteria would you take from the
approaches you review, both past and present, to create a more
perfect future system. There is no wrong answer, but there are well
thought out answers and not so well thought out answers.
Students always ask “how long should my paper be?” Science is
not confined to a number of words. The right number of words are
the number it takes to concisely present your argument. No more
and no less. You will be using a variety of resources in your
research of the various classification systems, I will show you in
class how references are cited in scientific papers. I do not expect
that any of you will engage in plagiarism. Those who do will be
graded harshly. Please submit your paper electronically via email.
Value: 100 points
Due Date: February 24