Editing Zoology (section)

===Classification===
[[Taxonomy (biology)|Scientific classification in zoology]], is a method by which zoologists group and categorize [[organism]]s by [[Type (biology)|biological type]], such as [[genus]] or [[species]]. Biological classification is a form of [[Taxonomy (biology)|scientific taxonomy]]. Modern biological classification has its root in the work of [[Carl Linnaeus]], who grouped species according to shared physical characteristics. These groupings have since been revised to improve consistency with the [[Charles Darwin|Darwinian]] principle of [[common descent]]. [[Molecular phylogenetics]], which uses [[nucleic acid sequence]] as data, has driven many recent revisions and is likely to continue to do so. Biological classification belongs to the science of [[systematics|zoological systematics]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.biologydiscussion.com/animals-2/systematics-meaning-branches-and-its-application/32374 |title=Systematics: Meaning, Branches and Its Application |date=27 May 2016 |work=Biology Discussion |access-date=12 April 2017 |language=en-US |archive-date=2017-04-13  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413073150/http://www.biologydiscussion.com/animals-2/systematics-meaning-branches-and-its-application/32374 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Linnaeus - Regnum Animale (1735).png|thumb|Linnaeus's table of the animal kingdom from the first edition of ''[[Systema Naturae]]'' (1735)]]

Many scientists now consider the [[Kingdom (biology)#Five kingdoms|five-kingdom system]] outdated. Modern alternative classification systems generally start with the [[three-domain system]]: [[Archaea]] (originally Archaebacteria); [[Bacteria]] (originally Eubacteria); [[Eukaryote|Eukaryota]] (including [[protist]]s, [[Fungus|fungi]], [[plant]]s, and [[animal]]s)<ref name="domain">{{cite journal |vauthors=Woese C, Kandler O, Wheelis M | title = Towards a natural system of organisms: proposal for the domains Archaea, Bacteria, and Eucarya | journal = Proc Natl Acad Sci USA | volume = 87 | issue = 12 | pages = 4576–4579 | year = 1990 | pmid = 2112744 | doi = 10.1073/pnas.87.12.4576 | pmc = 54159 | bibcode=1990PNAS...87.4576W| doi-access = free }}</ref>  These domains reflect whether the cells have nuclei or not, as well as differences in the chemical composition of the cell exteriors.<ref name="domain"/>

Further, each kingdom is broken down recursively until each species is separately classified. The order is:
[[Domain (biology)|Domain]]; [[Kingdom (biology)|kingdom]]; [[phylum]]; [[Class (biology)|class]]; [[Order (biology)|order]]; [[Family (biology)|family]]; [[genus]]; [[species]]. The scientific name of an organism is generated from its genus and species. For example, humans are listed as ''[[Homo sapiens]]''. ''Homo'' is the genus, and ''sapiens'' the specific epithet, both of them combined make up the species name. When writing the scientific name of an organism, it is proper to capitalize the first letter in the genus and put all of the specific epithet in lowercase. Additionally, the entire term may be italicized or underlined.<ref>{{cite book | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hVUU7Gq8QskC&q=species+epithet+capitalize&pg=PA198 | page = 198 | title = Writing for Science and Engineering: Papers, Presentation | author = Heather Silyn-Roberts | year = 2000 | isbn = 0-7506-4636-5 | publisher = Butterworth-Heinemann | location = Oxford | access-date = 2020-11-07  | archive-date = 2024-06-12  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240612073723/https://books.google.com/books?id=hVUU7Gq8QskC&q=species+epithet+capitalize&pg=PA198#v=snippet&q=species%20epithet%20capitalize&f=false | url-status = live }}</ref>

The dominant classification system is called the [[Linnaean taxonomy]]. It includes ranks and [[binomial nomenclature]]. The classification, [[Taxonomy (biology)|taxonomy]], and nomenclature of zoological organisms is administered by the [[International Code of Zoological Nomenclature]]. A merging draft, BioCode, was published in 1997 in an attempt to standardize nomenclature, but has yet to be formally adopted.<ref>{{cite conference | title=The BioCode: Integrated biological nomenclature for the 21st century? | book-title=Proceedings of a Mini-Symposium on Biological Nomenclature in the 21st Century | author=John McNeill | date=4 November 1996}}</ref>