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Gizmos Student Exploration: Dichotomous Keys
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Gizmos Student Exploration: Dichotomous Keys
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Name: Date:Student Exploration: Dichotomous Keys
Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and prompts in the
orange boxes.
Vocabulary: dichotomous key, genus, organism, scientific name, species, traits
Prior Knowledge Question (Do this BEFORE using the Gizmo.)
Jerome is walking through a park when he sees the spider shown at left. How couldJerome
find out what type of spider it is?
Dichotomous keys
Gizmo Warm-up
In the field, scientists often have to identify an unfamiliar organism (living
thing). A reliable way to identify organisms is to use a dichotomous key. A
dichotomous key is a series of paired statements or questions that lead to the
identification of an organism.
The Dichotomous Keys Gizmo allows you to use five different dichotomouskeys to
identify a variety of organisms. To begin, make sure California Albatrosses and
Organism A are selected.
1. Read the two statements at lower right. Which of the two statements most closely matches the
characteristics of the bird pictured?
Large areas of the bird’s body are covered in white feathers.
2. Select that statement and click Next. Continue until you have correctly identified the albatross. If you change your
mind about a choice, you can click the Back button. If you incorrectly identify the albatross, you can click the
Start Over button and try again.
A. What is the name of the albatross?
short-tailed albatross
B. The scientific name is shown in italics. Scientific names have two parts: the genus name and the
species name. What is the scientific name of this albatross?
Phoebastria albatrus
, Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A:
● Make sure the California Albatrosses key is
Use a dichotomous
selected.
key
● Select Organism B.
Introduction: As you saw on the previous page, a dichotomous key can help you identify an organism using its
characteristics, or traits. The keys in this Gizmo use only physical traits, such as feather color, to identify organisms. In
some cases, behavioral traits are used in dichotomous keys. For example, some frog species can be identified by their
croaks.
Goal: Use a dichotomous key to identify albatross species found in California.
1. Compare: Take a close look at organism B.
A. How does organism B differ from organism A?
Organism B is completely grey and black. Organism A is almost completely white.
B. What physical traits do you think can be used to help identify organism B?
Black beak, black head, large white feet.
2. Identify: Use the Gizmo to identify organism B. Then, identify the other albatrosses included in the
California Albatrosses key. Complete the table below.
California Albatrosses
Organism Common name Scientific name
A Short-tailed albatross Phoebastria albatrus
B Light-mantled albatross Phoebetria palpebrata
C Shy albatross Thalassarche cauta
D Wandering albatross Diomedea exulans
E Laysan albatross Phoebastria immutabilis
F Black-footed albatross Phoebastria nigripes
3. Think and discuss: What do you think are some limitations of dichotomous keys?
Sometimes between different yet similar organisms, there isn’t a lot to differentiate via
characteristics. There can also be many wrong interpretations because it is a complex
mechanism of organism identification.
Dichotomous keys are only useful when the organism that is being identified was or is part
of organisms that are part of the key.
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