Chapter 1: The Living World
1.1 Diversity in the Living World
If we observe our surroundings carefully, we find an enormous variety of living organisms—plants, animals, birds, insects, pets, and even microscopic organisms that cannot be seen with the naked eye.
The greater the area explored, the greater the diversity observed.
For example, a dense forest has far more species than a garden or roadside.
Each distinct kind of organism is called a species.
👉 Currently known species: approximately 1.7–1.8 million
👉 Many new species are still being discovered, even today.
This vast variety of organisms present on Earth is called biodiversity.
Organisms are known by local or regional names.
These names vary from place to place, even within the same country.
This creates confusion in scientific communication.
To avoid confusion, scientists developed a standardised system of naming organisms, known as nomenclature, so that:
Each organism has one unique name
The name is universally accepted
