Alpha taxonomy

Alpha taxonomy is the way scientists give names to different living things, like animals, plants, and fungi. It's like giving a name to your pet dog or cat so you can tell them apart from other dogs or cats.

When scientists discover a new species or identify a new variation of a species, they need to remember what it looks like and what it's called. To do that, they create a scientific name for that species, which has two parts: the genus (a group of similar species) and the species (the specific name of the individual animal, plant, or fungus).

For example, humans are called Homo sapiens, where "Homo" is the genus name and "sapiens" is the species name. This allows scientists to talk about specific species without getting confused with other similar species.

To come up with these names, scientists look at physical characteristics, behavior, anatomy, and genetics of an organism. They may also compare it to other similar species already known. It's like playing a game of "spot the difference" to find out what makes each species unique.

Alpha taxonomy is important because it helps us understand the biodiversity of life on Earth and how different species are related to each other. By giving them distinct names, we can keep track of which species are endangered or threatened, and work to protect them.