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Difficulty: MediumPrinciples of Classification and Binomial Nomenclature

A researcher studying West African flora documents the oil palm tree as *Elaeis guineensis* Jacq. Which of the following statements correctly interprets the principles of binomial nomenclature applied to this scientific name?

  1. *Elaeis* designates the genus name with a capitalized initial letter, while *guineensis* designates the specific epithet in lowercase.Answer
  2. B
    *Elaeis* designates the species name, while *guineensis* designates the genus name.
  3. C
    Both *Elaeis* and *guineensis* must be capitalized because both terms represent higher taxonomic ranks above family.
  4. D
    *Elaeis guineensis* can be classified under Kingdom Monera because it possesses a rigid cell wall.

Answer

The statement that *Elaeis* designates the genus name with a capitalized initial letter, while *guineensis* designates the specific epithet in lowercase is correct.
Under the Linnaean system of binomial nomenclature, a scientific name consists of two parts: the genus name, which is always capitalized, and the specific epithet (species name), which is written in lowercase. Both parts are italicized when printed or underlined when handwritten.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the components of the scientific name *Elaeis guineensis*.
The first word *Elaeis* is capitalized and represents the Genus. The second word *guineensis* is in lowercase and represents the species epithet.
Linnaean binomial nomenclature dictates that every species is assigned a two-part Latinized name: Genus (capitalized) + species (lowercase).
2
Evaluate the kingdom-level classification.
Oil palm is a vascular plant belonging to Kingdom Plantae, not Kingdom Monera.
Monera consists exclusively of prokaryotic microorganisms lacking membrane-bound nuclei.

Key Concept

Rules of Linnaean Binomial Nomenclature
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Topics

Principles of Classification and Binomial Nomenclature

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