Dichotomous Key Lab

Part 1. Pasta Feast

1. The shape of the pasta is straight…………………………………………………………………….Go to #2
The shape of the pasta is not straight………………………………………………………………Go to #4

2. The pasta is hollow..………………….…………………………………………………………………….Go to #3

The pasta is not hollow..…….…………………………………………………………………………spaghetti

3. The pasta is smooth………………………………………………………………………………………………..ziti

The pasta is not smooth…………………………………………………………………………..penne rigate

4. The pasta is round…………………..………………………………………………………………………..rotelle

The pasta is not round…………………………………………………………………………………….Go to #5

5. The pasta has two lobes………………………………………………………………………………..farfalline

The pasta does not have two lobes…………………………………………………………….campanelle

Part 2. Dichotomous Keys

The variety of living organisms on our planet is amazing. From microscopic bacteria, to
maple trees, to the gigantic blue whales that inhabit our oceans…Organisms that share
certain characteristic are classified into groups. Two major groups (or kingdoms) you are
familiar with are the Kingdom ‘Animals’ and the Kingdom ‘Plants’. But not all animals are
alike, so within this large group, they are classified into smaller categories, using
characteristics: such as having fur, having 6 articulated legs, having scales –and so forth.

In order to better understand how life on Earth is organized, and how organisms are
related to each other, scientists have developed different ways to organize, or classify, all

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the different living creatures. One of these systems is a tool called a ‘dichotomous key.’ The
word dichotomous means “divided into two parts”. A dichotomous key is a tool that
provides the reader with two statements (choices) that describe characteristics about
items or living organisms. These statements help the reader to classify and identify the
items. With a dichotomous key, you choose between two clear physical characteristics that
the organism possesses or not, and move down a chart (or tree) or a list until you finally
can identify it. On the next page you will find a ‘classification tree’ for different balls used to

play different sports.

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Answer the following questions:

What is the major group to which all these items belong? What makes them be grouped
into a single category?
______________________________________________________

In this example, what separates them into two major groups? __________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

According to this classification tree, list three characteristics that differentiate a soccer ball
from a football:

1. _______________________________________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________________________________
3. _______________________________________________________________________________________

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But sometimes, instead of using ‘classification trees’ like the one on the last page, scientists
use lists to convey the same information. For this example, the list would look like this:

1a. Ball is perfectly round and spherical……………………………………………go to (2)

1b. Ball is not round and spherical……………………………………………………go to (3)

2a. Ball has hexagons and pentagons on it……………………………………soccer ball

2b. Ball doesn’t have hexagons and pentagons on it…….……….....……basketball

3a. Ball has one side with laces……………………………………………………..…football

3b. Ball has no laces…………………………………………………….……………….rugby ball

Using this list, write down two characteristics that differentiate a football from a
basketball:

1. _______________________________________________________________________________________
2. _______________________________________________________________________________________

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The following questions are in the style of the NYS Regents Exam. Answer them on
your own, or discuss them with your group.

A.

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B.

C.

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D.

http://io9.com/5959772/how-and-why-animals-change-color-with-the-seasons

http://www.nysedregents.org/grade8/science/613/ils62013-exam.pdf

http://regentsprep.org/Regents/biology/units/laboratory/dichotomous.cfm

http://web.stanford.edu/group/lpchscience/cgibin/wordpress/images/Taxonomy-T.pdf

http://lecoursedebiase.com/Dichotomous.html

http://www.jmap.org/JMAP/IJMAP/LivingEnvironment/RegentsExams/0609ExamLE.pdf

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 Next, it will be your turn to make a dichotomous key to
classify a particular group of 6 organisms.

Part 3. Making Your Own Dichotomous Key

Observe the specimens provided for you to create a dichotomous key on.

As you decide on which characteristic to use, remember to use constant characteristics

rather than ones that disappear or vary with the season or other environmental factor. For
example, the snowshoe hare is completely white in the winter, but brown during the
warmer months.

Also, use characteristics that can be directly observed. And if you are going to use a
quantitative measurement, use a definite amount (for example: 2 legs, 4 legs, 6 legs).
Avoid using terms such as "big" and "small” which are vague.

Next, turn your ‘classification tree’ into a ‘list’, or dichotomous key on the next page. Use
the sports balls key as an example, but remember that your key will be longer because you
have more organisms to classify than the 4 sports balls. Do not forget to write the words ‘go
to #_____’ when necessary.

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1a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
1b. _____________________________________________________________________________________

2a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
2b. _____________________________________________________________________________________

3a. ______________________________________________________________________________________
3b. ______________________________________________________________________________________

4a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
4b. _____________________________________________________________________________________

5a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
5b. _____________________________________________________________________________________

6a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
6b. _____________________________________________________________________________________

7a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
7b. _____________________________________________________________________________________

8a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
8b. _____________________________________________________________________________________
9a. _____________________________________________________________________________________
9b. _____________________________________________________________________________________

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