Question

Which of the following best explains the changing nature of classification systems of organisms?

A.
All organisms struggle for existence and become extinct. Once extinct, scientists remove organisms from the classification systems.

B.
All organisms compete to be at the top of the food chain. Once organisms reach the top of the food chain, scientists make changes to the classification systems..

C.
Technological advances have allowed scientists to better compare organisms. As scientists know more about organisms, they make changes to the classification systems.

D.
More species have been discovered, but scientists have not analyzed all the data. Scientists remove known species from the classification systems to make room for new discoveries.

Answer 1

The changing nature of classification systems is best explained by technological advances that help scientists gain a better and more accurate understanding of organism comparisons, leading to updates in the systems as new information is obtained. Therefore, the correct option is c.

Step-by-step explanation:

The best explanation for the changing nature of classification systems of organisms is C. Technological advances have allowed scientists to better compare organisms. As scientists know more about organisms, they make changes to the classification systems. This is because systematics, the study of how organisms are similar or different, is constantly evolving with new discoveries and technologies.

Advancements in fields such as molecular biology and genetics have given scientists new tools to compare DNA and protein sequences of different organisms, which often leads to reevaluations and refinements of the taxonomic tree. Moreover, new species discoveries, as well as increased understanding of evolutionary relationships and the mechanisms of speciation, continue to influence how organisms are classified. The taxonomic classification system, which is hierarchically structured, becomes more accurate with each new piece of information scientists obtain, reflecting the phylogenetic relationships based on common ancestry more precisely.