This statement, palmate or fan-shaped leaves, our student can answer yes to. Is the tree short and bushy? Again, our student decides no and moves on to step three. They follow the instructions to move on to step two. They decide that this does not apply to the tree they drew. Our student reads the first statement: broad, flat leaves. Their teacher provides them with this dichotomous key, which should allow them to identify the tree. Now we’re ready to try an example.Ī curious biology student is interested in the plants growing around their school and draws a sketch of the tree we see here. The word dichotomous actually means something that’s divided into two parts, which both describes where dichotomous keys get their name and how they’re made. They’re designed to allow scientists to identify an organism from a group of different organisms by answering a set of yes or no questions. A single dichotomous key is meant to be used with a specific set of specimens, not a wide range of different organisms. It’s not to be confused with a phylogenetic tree, which shows classifications and evolutionary relationships. So now that we’ve identified what this lesson’s about, let’s get started.Ī dichotomous key is a tool used for the identification of organisms. After that, we’ll practice making and using our own dichotomous keys. In this video, we’ll learn about the dichotomous key, what it is, and how it’s used.
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