What are the uses of Dichotomous keys?
A dichotomous key is a device that can be used to easily identify an unknown organism. The word dichotomous comes from two Greek words that together mean, “divided in two parts”. A dichotomous key consists of a series of two part statements that describe characteristic of organisms. At each step of a dichotomous key the user is presented with two choices. As the user makes a choice about a particular characteristic of an organism they are led to a new branch of the key. Eventually the user will be led to the name of the organism that they are trying to identify.
