Warm up for Monday! Classifying Finches

Warm up for Monday:

Suppose you found a species of animal that you had never seen before. How would you identify it? Scientists use a tool called a taxonomic key to determine an organism's identity. A key uses a set of statements that describe an organism's appearance to help identify the organism.

Most taxonomic keys are dichotomous, which means they offer only two choices for a specific feature. You select the most correct possibility and follow the directions through to another statement. Eventually, you create a route through a series of statements that ends at the correct name of the unknown organism.

Warm up question 1:
 Pick one finch. See if you can figure out which species of finch it is:

	Finch Identification
1.	a. The beak is relatively long and slender.		Certhdea sp.
	b. The beak is relatively stout and heavy.		Go to set 2
2.	a. The bottom surface of the lower bill is flat and straight.		Geospiza sp.
	b. The bottom surface of the lower bill has a bend		Go to set 3
3.	a. The lower edge of the upper bill has a distinct bend.		Camarhynchus sp.
	b. The lower edge of the upper bill is mostly flat.		Platyspiza sp.

Warm up question 2:

Which do you prefer using: the dichotomous key above or the picture identification guide for figuring out salamander species in the lab on Friday?

Warm up activity:

We'll check out this site and play a finch beak game as a class.

You now have the remainder of class to work on your lab.

1) Finish collecting data.
2) We'll discuss how to make a scatter plot.
3) Then, you will work silently on your lab. You have scrap paper at your table. If you have questions, write them down and give them to me or your lab partner.

At the end of the period, turn in your lab. We will finish them tomorrow.

Happy SCIENTIFIC THINKING Monday!!!

Ms. Nickel

Source:
http://www.pbs.org/safarchive/5_cool/galapagos/g53_more.html