Concept of Species and Taxonomic Hierarchy · NCERT Biology

Why is it more difficult to classify organisms as we move higher up the taxonomic hierarchy?

  1. The total number of individual organisms present in each group decreases.
  2. The number of common features shared by the grouped organisms keeps increasing.
  3. The number of shared characteristics falls, making relationships less obvious.
  4. The organisms that are grouped together become progressively smaller in size.
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Correct answer: The number of shared characteristics falls, making relationships less obvious.

At higher levels like Kingdom or Phylum, organisms share very few common features. This lack of shared traits makes determining the biological relationship between different taxa more complex.

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