The Dichotomous Essential is a tool that scientists use to determine the classification of living things in the natural world – from trees to animals to fungi. It’s usually presented as a flowchart, giving you two options on each branch to help make the identification process more accessible. The word “Dichotomous” means “divided into two parts.
Types of Dichotomous Essential:
The Dichotomous essential is usually presented as a flowchart, although there are a few different ways that the Dichotomous essential can be given.
Nested Style
It is when the next identification question appears nested under the answer leading up to it. Each question is usually indented, with each query being further indented to help keep the chart organized and easy to read.
Linked Dichotomous Essential:
In this kind, questions are written in a listed form; each answer leads to a different question on another line.
Branching Tree
It is more commonly seen where each question is played out in a tree diagram form, with each answer leading down a different branch with another question.
How are living organisms identified?
Seven different taxonomic groups are used to identify living organisms, starting from the broadest and most general, down to the specifics that differentiate types of fruit flies.
The seven groups are:
- Kingdom
- Phylum
- Class
- Order
- Family
- Genus
- Species
