Misconceptions: 15+ Common Misconceptions in CL-05

#	Misconception	Correct Understanding
1	"Linnaeus coined the term 'taxonomy'."	A.P. de Candolle coined "taxonomy." Linnaeus established binomial nomenclature.
2	"Reproduction is the defining feature of life."	Metabolism is the defining feature. Mules, worker bees, and infertile humans are alive but cannot reproduce.
3	"Growth is the defining feature of life."	Crystals grow by accumulation — growth is not exclusive to life.
4	"A scientific name should have a continuous underline when handwritten."	Each word must be underlined separately (Homo sapiens — two distinct underlines).
5	"The species epithet is capitalized."	Only the genus name starts with a capital. The species epithet is all lowercase.
6	"Phylum is used for both plants and animals."	Phylum is used for animals; Division is the equivalent rank for plants.
7	"A museum contains living organisms."	Museums contain preserved (dead) specimens — formalin, pinned, stuffed. Living animals are in zoos.
8	"A flora is the same as a monograph."	Flora is region-based (plants in a geographical area). Monograph is taxon-based $\frac{one genus}{family worldwide}$ .
9	"Kingdom is the basic unit of classification."	Species is the basic unit. Kingdom is the most inclusive category.
10	"Mules are not living organisms because they can't reproduce."	Mules perform metabolism, respond to stimuli, and are undeniably alive. Reproduction is not required for life.
11	"Author name (Linn.) is part of the binomial name."	The binomial consists of two parts only: genus + species epithet. Author name is a citation, not part of the name.
12	"Systematics and taxonomy are the same thing."	Systematics is broader — it includes taxonomy plus evolutionary/phylogenetic analysis.
13	"Consciousness requires a brain or nervous system."	In biology, consciousness broadly means sensing and responding to the environment. Even single-celled organisms and plants show this.
14	"The Indian Botanical Garden is in Delhi."	The Indian Botanical Garden is at Howrah, West Bengal (near Kolkata). IARI is in Delhi.
15	"A dichotomous key can have more than two options per step."	By definition, dichotomous keys offer exactly TWO contrasting options at each step (dichotomous = two-branching).
16	"Homeostasis is the same as metabolism."	Homeostasis is the maintenance of internal stability; it DEPENDS on metabolism (which provides the energy for it), but they are distinct concepts.
17	"All organisms in the same kingdom look similar."	Kingdom is the most inclusive rank — members may be wildly different (whale and housefly are both in Kingdom Animalia).