Describe the relationship of the genus and species taxa. Explain why this system helps scientists in their research.

Species are nested in the broader taxon of genus. Concepts to Consider: Taxonomy is based on evolutionary relationships; the genus and species taxa allow scientists to identify specific organisms. The genus is always capitalized and the species is written in lower case. Both taxa are italicized. The genus may be abbreviated using only the first letter, but the species is always written out. An organism must be identified using both the genus and species taxa because some organisms have the same species name. Using the scientific nomenclature rather than the common name of an organism allows all scientists to recognize and work with the same organism.