Identifying Organisms Lab Report

Aim: 1. To arrange a set of geometric figure into groups according to like characteristics, and to write a dichotomous key that will satisfy each geometric figure 2. To identify an organism using a given key 3. To determine if plants are of the same strain by carrying out electrophoresis of isoenzymes

Procedure: Refer to the lab manual page 8-9

Result:

A. CONSTRUCTING A DICHOTOMOUS KEY

Refer to Appendix 1

B. USING A DICHOTOMOUS KEY

1a. Typically with three pairs of legs, with or without wings, and three distinct body regions……………………………………………insects (INSECTA) Rhinotia hemistictus
2a. With four pairs of legs, no antennae, and head and thorax fused into one large cephalothorax………………………………………arachnids (ARACHNIDA) Centruroides exilicauda

3a. Body broadly oval with stout spine like tail…horseshoe crabs (XIPHOSURA) Pseudoniscus roosevelti

4a. Usually with 5 to 7 pairs of legs and two pairs of antennae ……………………………………………………crustaceans (CRUSTACEA) Hemigrapsus sanguineus.

5a. Body cylindrical; two pairs of legs on each segment; antennae short ……………………………………………………...millipedes (DIPLOPODA) Scaphiostreptus parilis

5b. Body more or less flattened; one pair of legs per segment; antennae long ……………………………………………………..centipedes (CHILOPODA) Scolopendra gigantea,

C. ELECTROPHORESIS- ANOTHER TOOL IDENTIFICATION

Observation: Banding patent of Sample A is the same as the banding patent of sample B.

Discussion:

Part A:
A dichotomous key is a device that can be used to easily identify an unknown organism. The first step is to look at the group of objects or organisms and separate them into two groups based on a single distinguishing characteristic. Then continue to separate each of the groups until each object has its own separate set of characteristics. The more similarities the group of things have,