Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
KUNCI TAKSONOMIK
TAXONOMIC KEYS
I. Introduction to identification
All of these mistakes can lead to frustration. But, try, try again!
D. Writing a dichotomous key.
First collect your data by: (a) laying out the plants to be keyed in
front of you; and/or (b) recording data on note cards or in a
computer spreadsheet or database; and/or (c) creating a table
listing the species to key along one side and the characters to study
along the other side (see Table 3 for the data used to created the
keys to Lewis Carroll's creatures). Once you have collected your
data, start to group the objects. It is best to start with a feature that
separates the things to be keyed into two groups of similar number
and then subdivide these groups until individuals are distinguished.
Other tips for key writing:
start each couplet with a noun;
avoid unnecessary words;
avoid negatives;
avoid trichotomies;
use "absent" vs. "not present";
quantify;
the two statements of couplet should refer to the same feature;
each couplet should include all of the potential variations in the feature;
the two statements of the couplet should be mutually exclusive;
remember that keys are for identification and are not designed to show
evolutionary relationships (i.e., keys are "artificial") - thus, don't worry about
maintaining "natural" groupings;
avoid vague terms;
season of use should be consistent within the key;
don't include taxonomic names (i.e., plant a gymnosperm);
use obvious features, avoid obscure or highly technical ones;
use fixed features, avoid variable ones;
start each couplet with the noun; and
start with the most distinctive features
the finished key should have n-1 couplets (where n equals the number of units
in the key)..
C. Example.
Click here for an example of a "paper version" of a synoptic key
to pollination systems follows. To use this key:
1. Read through the list of characters to become familiar with the possibilities;
2. Scan the list to find a character with a state that you observe in your specimen.
Start with a readily identifiable character that has only a few numbers (taxa)
associated with it;
3. Write a brief description of the character and state and the numbers of the taxa
that can be described by this state;
4. Choose another character and state that describes your taxa. Write a brief
description of this state below the name of the first state chosen. Then, scratch
off the original list any taxon that doesn't appear in the second;
5. Continue this process until just one taxon remains for all of the states. If there
is no single taxon described by the states chosen, and two or more remain, go
back and check for errors;
6. Read the name of the taxon after its number in the list of taxa. Check your
identification with a description in a manual or the herbarium.
References:
Glasenapp, D. J. 1986. The nuts and bolts of classification. American Biology
Teacher 48: 362-3.
Harrington, H.D. 1957. How to Identify Plants. Swallow Press, Chicago.
Dallwitz, M, TA Paine, EJ Zurcher. 2000. Principles of Interactive Keys.
On-line
Dallwitz, M. 2000. A comparison of interactive identification programs. On-
line.
General Leaf Key - University of Vermont
FLOWER SHAPE
FLOWER SIZE
FLOWER COLOR
ODOR
POLLEN
NECTAR
NECTAR GUIDES*
NECTAR CONTENT**
a. low sugar............. WI,BT,FM,FS,BU,MO
b. low amino acids ....WI,BT,FM,FS,BE,BI,BA
________________________________________________________________
* May only appear under UV light ** Taste can provide a clue.
Abbreviation Code::
WI Wind pollination (anemophily); BT Beetle pollination (cantharophily); FM Fly
pollination (syrphid and bee flies; myophily); FS Fly pollination (carrion and dung
flies; sapromyophily); BE Bee pollination (mellittophily); BU Butterfly pollination ;
(psychophily); MO Moth pollination (phalaenophily & sphingophily); BI Bird
pollination (ornithophily); BA Bat pollination (chiropterophily)
Then, begin your key work. Start in the key at the appropriate
place. Typically this would be the beginning of the key, but in some
cases we will begin keying specimens in a particular family or
genus. Record the title of the section that you are working in. List
the key steps and a brief description of the features of that couplet
as you proceed through the key. Indent each couplet choice as you
proceed. The following is an example for keying out False Solomon's
seal in Gleason & Cronquist (1991).
Section 1
Section 6
Liliaceae
Smilacina