MODULE #1: Biology: The Study of Life
EXPERIMENT 1.1
Using a Biological Key
Supplies:
¨Photographs on the next page
¨Biological key in Figure 1.7
Object: Identify fifteen living things by using the biological key in the text. Keys vary in their style and content. This key is applicable to all five kingdoms, made especially for use in this course. A good library exercise would be to check other keys and how they are used.
Procedure:
The chart below gives you an example of how to identify the elephant that was described for you in the text. Reread the section on how to identify the elephant and note how the chart has been completed for the elephant. Once you understand how the chart is filled in, identify each of the pictures below by working through the key. As you work through the key, make a chart in your laboratory notebook like the one given below:
Continue the chart so that you have an entry for each specimen. Please note that you may not be able to answer every question in the biological key based on the picture alone. You might have to do a little research to classify some of the specimens. Also, because of the nature of the key, you will not have a kingdom, phylum, class, and order for every specimen. For some specimens, listing the kingdom may be the best that you can do. Once you have completed the chart in your laboratory notebook, check the answers that are provided after the answers to the “On Your Own” questions.
Specimens for the lab:
