Question
How is a key helpful in the identification and classification of an organism?
Solution
Key is a taxonomical aid that helps in identification of plant and animal species. These keys are based on similarities and dissimilarities in characters, generally in a pair called couplet.
Each statement in a taxonomic key is referred to as a lead. For categorizing each taxonomic rank, such as family, genus, species, etc., different keys are used. It is also useful in identification of unknown organisms.
Keys are of two types- indented and bracketed keys.
Key are analytical in nature and help to identify the differences between species and identify new species.
