Identification key
≈ 3 min read
Names in other languages
No names in other languages are held for this entry yet.
Article bodies are English and are not machine-translated. A name in another language is not a translation of the article.
In biology, an identification key, taxonomic key, or frequently just key, is a printed or computer-aided device that aids in the identification of biological organisms. Historically, the most common type of identification key is the dichotomous key, a type of single-access key which offers a fixed sequence of identification steps, each with two alternatives. The earliest examples of identification keys originate in the seventeenth century, but their conceptual history can be traced back to antiquity. Modern multi-access keys allow the user to freely choose the identification steps and any order. They were traditionally performed using punched cards but now almost exclusively take the form of computer programs.
In biology, an identification key, taxonomic key, or frequently just key, is a printed or computer-aided device that aids in the identification of biological organisms. Historically, the most common type of identification key is the dichotomous key, a type of single-access key which offers a fixed sequence of identification steps, each with two alternatives. The earliest examples of identification keys originate in the seventeenth century, but their conceptual history can be traced back to antiquity. Modern multi-access keys allow the user to freely choose the identification steps and any order. They were traditionally performed using punched cards but now almost exclusively take the form of computer programs.
Key construction
An early attempt to standardize the construction of keys was offered by E. B. Williamson in the June 1922 volume of Science. More recently, Richard Pankhurst published a guidelines and practical tips for key construction in a section of his 19781 book, Biological Identification. Identification errors may have serious consequences in both pure and applied disciplines, including ecology, medical diagnosis, pest control, forensics, etc.
References
Xper2 - Interactive identification and descriptive data management software Identification key webservice Principles of interactive keys Programs for interactive identification and information retrieval Lucid - Interactive Identification and Diagnostics key software BioBASE for Windows 7.0 - Computer-aided identification of Bacteria Discover Life - Interactive Guides and free online guide development space Bioimages Comments on Royal Entomological Society of London Keys Dmitriev Interactive keys DKey - editor of dichotomous taxonomic keys DiversityNaviKey (DNK)
Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1365349980 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.