A dichotomous key is a classification tool based on morphological or behavioral characteristics. It provides two options per feature.
What is a dichotomous key?
A dichotomous key is a significantly useful tool to classify organisms.
If you have an organism -or part of it- and you need to taxonomically identify it, you use a dichotomous key.
The key provides an easy and fast way for identification by describing different morphological or behavioral traits, leading you to the correct taxonomic classification.
The term dichotomous refers to how information is provided.
You will always have two options per feature (a and b, or 1 and 2), and you will have to choose one of them according to the characteristics of your organism.
Once you choose one of the options according to your organism, the key leads you to the following description, and you will have to choose one of the options again.
You will repeat this until you reach the name of your organism.
The key describes only specific traits that are useful for differentiation.
Now, let us write two steps of a dichotomous key that would be helpful for the bird-watcher.
Description 1a ----------- The organism is a vertebrate ----------- Go to 2
Description 1b------------ The organism is invertebrate ----------- Go to 5
Description 2a ---------- The organism flies ----- Go to 3
Description 2b ---------- The organism does not fly ---------- Go to 4
Description 3a ------ The organism is yellow and sings ---- This is your bird
Description 3b ----- The organism is grey and does not sing --- This is another bird
So in this example, the key asks you if the animal you are looking at is a vertebrate or not. It is a vertebrate, so you choose option 1a and move to description 2.
In description 2 the key asks you if your animal flies or not. It is a bird and is on a tree, so does it fly. You choose option 2a and move to description 3.
Finally, the key asks you if your bird is yellow and sings or if it is grey and does not sing. You choose option 3a and the key tells you the name of your bird.
You can learn more about dichotomous key at
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