Classification of living things - science people please help

[Brenda in FL]

Every book and source I research seems to have a varying names, classifications. Is there a source that outlines the latest, scientifically accepted classification system?

 

For instance - I have books that say flowering plants are angiosperms, yet the USDA labels them as magnoliophyta. This is just one example. I am finding inconsistencies in all the areas my daughter is researching.

 

It's frustrating, because I don't know if terms are acceptable or outdated. I think I understand that the classification systems are changing as more DNA evidence becomes available and there may be a difference based on evolutionary theory.

 

I'd just like to be able to take a species and trace it back through the classification to it's Phylum and Kingdom. I thought it would be simple, but I'm finding that to be not the case!

 

Please help!

[kRenee]

Hey there,

I'm Krenee's daughter and I study biology as well. Due to disagreeing scientists naming things willy-nilly, there is no universally accepted taxonomic system. The two domain system seems to be used in most college texts so I would use that primarily. Being familiar with older terms is a good things as they will crop up every once in a while, but if you want to ensure you are seeing the most recent labels, I would go online. Sites like biologycorner.com, wikipedia and web-based scientific newspapers are excellent ways to keep current. As for differing names (angiosperms vs magnoliophyta) I would trust books more than the USDA, but again, a google search can confirm which is more acceptable to use and where. So in summary, depending on where you go to school/who you work with, the systems and names change. I find it beneficial to know the other systems and synonym names for when one of them pops up.

 

Hope this helped some

Edited September 5, 2012 by kRenee