on what do biologists base their classification of organisms?
- OLE 6.12D Taxonomic Classification: Classifying Organisms How do Biologists Classify Organisms? Classification is the process of organizing and grouping things. The scientific study of how organisms are classified is called taxonomy. Taxonomy is useful because once a scientist knows the classification of an organism, he or she/the scientist already knows a lot of information about that organism. Biologists initially grouped organisms based on their similarities. Modern classification systems group organisms according to how they are related to each other. Naming Organisms Taxonomy involves naming organisms. In the 1730s, the Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus devised a system of naming organisms that is still used today. Linnaeus placed organisms in groups based on similarities in their observable features. Each organism was given a unique, two-part scientific name. - The classification system that scientists use today is based on the contributions of Linnaeus. But todayâs classification system uses a series of many levels to classify organisms. The Major Levels of Classification Organisms are classified by their characteristics and relatedness. The diagram below shows the levels most biologists use.