Starter Activity What is a habitat? Get set go! Two minutes What is a habitat? What do we call all of the organisms of the same species living in an area? What do we call all of the organisms (i.e. all of the plants and animals) living in an area. How do we define “ecosystem”?

What are we going to learn about today? Today we’ll learn about how ecologists identify the organisms that they study.

How could we identify the organisms living in an environment?

Identification Keys Copy Slide When identifying unfamiliar organisms we can use identification “keys” to unlock the secret of the name of an organism. We will look at two different kind of keys the first is a “branching key” and the second is a “paired statement key”.

Branching Keys A G C B E D F

Branching Keys When using a branching key you must always start at the top. If you follow the line of the key, you will be given two choices to make. Study your organism and make the appropriate choice. If your organism is in the key, you should eventually finish at its name.

The Spot Beetle Problem. These are spot beetles. Your teacher will tell you a story about the problem that one particular spot beetle is causing on the island of Barbagua and about how you can help.

key to identify the missing three insects. Here are drawings of five black and white moths and butterflies that can be seen in Britain: a) Large White b) Black-veined White c) White Satin d) Black Arches e) Peppered Moth.                                                                  Use the branching key to identify the missing three insects. Black veined white Peppered moth Black arches

Paired Statement Keys Paired statement keys work in the same way as branching keys. At each stage you are given two choices. Make the appropriate choice and go to where you are asked to go at the end of the statement. Again, if the organism is present, you should end up with a name for it.

Paired Statement Key A B C D E F H G Single leaf go to 2 Several leaflets go to 6 B 2. Leaf with prickles HOLLY Leaf with no prickles go to 3 C 3. Leaf edge with lobes go to 4 Leaf edge with no lobes go to 5 4. Lobes sharp pointed SYCAMORE Lobes rounded OAK D E 5. Leaf with near smooth edge BEECH Leaf with serrated edge ELM F 6. Leaflets in fan shape HORSE CHESTNUT Leaflets in pairs go to 7 7. Leaf edge serrated ROWAN Leaf edge near plain ASH H G

Most identification books wouldn’t use branching keys they would use paired statement keys like this one. Use this key to identify moths a-e (again). Insect with feathery antennae………….. Go to 2. Insect with smooth antennae……………. Go to 3. Insect with spots on wings ……………… Large White. Insect without spots on wings…………… Black-veined White Insect without speckled pattern on wings… White Satin Insect with speckled pattern on wings………. Go to 4. 4. Pattern covering only front pair of wings…….. Black Arches Pattern covering all of wings……………………..Peppered moth

Your teacher will now give you the keys booklet so that you may practice using branching and paired statement keys to identify organisms.

Front of jotter Copy Slide Remember- When writing keys you must only use information about visible features of any organism.

Front of jotter Leopard Cheetah Now you try writing branching and paired statement keys for these four big cats. Tiger Lion

Tulip Cockle Sycamore Dandelion Giraffe Gold finch Mackerel Seaweed Spider Sea Urchin Venus Fly Trap Cockatoo Now you try writing branching and paired statement keys for these organisms.

1. b) c) Paired bladders Smooth fronds Toothed wrack a) Egg wrack d)

Booklet Questions 2. Leaves toothed Stem hairless Creeping buttercup SG Biol.Gen 2004Q2 Leaves toothed Stem hairless Creeping buttercup Meadow buttercup

3. 2 Two pairs of wings Spider Mite Three pairs of legs Wings absent

Learning Outcomes By the end of today’s lesson you should be able to- Identify organisms using branching and paired statement keys.. Create branching and paired statement keys