Examkin

Question

Difficulty: HardPrinciples of Classification and Binomial Nomenclature

An environmental biologist isolated a microscopic organism from soil and documented its cellular structure: it is unicellular, lacks a nuclear membrane, possesses a rigid cell wall composed of peptidoglycan, and reproduces by binary fission. In a preliminary research paper, four different proposals were made for its binomial designation and kingdom classification:

1. *bacillus Subtilis* (Kingdom Monera)
2. *Bacillus subtilis* (Kingdom Protista)
3. *Bacillus Subtilis* (Kingdom Monera)
4. *Bacillus subtilis* (Kingdom Monera)

Which proposal correctly adheres to the established rules of binomial nomenclature while accurately placing the organism into its correct kingdom?

  1. Proposal 4, because the generic name begins with a capital letter, the specific epithet is entirely in lowercase, both are italicized, and prokaryotes with peptidoglycan cell walls belong to Kingdom Monera.Answer
  2. B
    Proposal 3, because both the genus name and specific epithet must begin with capital letters to indicate formal biological status within Kingdom Monera.
  3. C
    Proposal 2, because unicellular organisms possessing a cell wall and carrying out independent cellular functions are classified under Kingdom Protista.
  4. D
    Proposal 1, because generic names are written in lowercase while specific epithets are capitalized to emphasize species identity within Monera.

Answer

Proposal 4 is correct because the generic name begins with a capital letter, the specific epithet is entirely in lowercase, both are italicized, and prokaryotes with peptidoglycan cell walls belong to Kingdom Monera.
The correct answer identifies Proposal 4. According to Carl Linnaeus's rules of binomial nomenclature, a scientific name consists of two parts: the genus name, which must always begin with an uppercase letter, and the specific epithet, which must be entirely in lowercase. When printed, both names must be italicized. Furthermore, the described organism lacks a nuclear membrane (prokaryotic) and possesses a cell wall with peptidoglycan, which are diagnostic traits of Kingdom Monera.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate the cellular characteristics to determine the correct Kingdom.
The organism is unicellular, lacks a nuclear membrane (prokaryotic), and contains peptidoglycan in its cell wall. These features definitively define Kingdom Monera (Bacteria).
Kingdom Protista contains eukaryotic unicellular organisms, whereas Monera comprises prokaryotes with peptidoglycan cell walls.
2
Apply the standard formatting rules of Linnaean binomial nomenclature.
The genus name must start with a capital letter ('Bacillus'), the specific epithet must be entirely in lowercase ('subtilis'), and both terms must be italicized (or underlined when handwritten).
Binomial nomenclature requires Genus (capitalized) + species epithet (lowercase) in italics.
3
Combine kingdom diagnostic traits with formatting rules to select the correct proposal.
Proposal 4 (*Bacillus subtilis* in Kingdom Monera) satisfies both taxonomic classification principles and Linnaean formatting rules.
Only Proposal 4 gets both the formatting conventions and kingdom assignment right.

Key Concept

Linnaean Binomial Nomenclature Rules and Monera Kingdom Diagnostic Features
Rate this question

Topics

Principles of Classification and Binomial Nomenclature

More questions from this topic