1. 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”?

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

3. How could we identify the organisms living in an environment?

4. 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”.

5. Branching Keys A G C B E D F

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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

11. 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

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

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

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

15. 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.

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

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

18. 3. 2
Two pairs of wings
Spider
Mite
Three pairs of legs
Wings absent

19. 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