A comparison of the effectiveness of multi-access keys and dichotomous keys in plant biology fieldwork

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the relative effectiveness of dichotomous keys and a multi-access key as a means of identifying organisms during plant biology fieldwork. Two identification keys, one dichotomous and the other multi-access and electronic, were tested with final-year undergraduate student teachers. The two keys comprised the same twenty species, all of which are plants currently found at the Mediterranean Garden, University of Malta. As part of the testing process, the participants had to identify two different plants from a choice of four plants (Prunus dulcis, Lotus ornithopodiodes, Lavatera arborea and Galactites tomentosa) and find out which species they were observing. An interview with each subject was subsequently conducted so that the participants could review the methods that they used to arrive at their conclusion. In almost all cases the students testing the multi-access key, students achieved successful identifications. The success rate using the dichotomous key was comparable but was achieved through a slower process. The results indicated that use of this key in a field or laboratory context is likely to promote more rapid identification of plant specimens with the same accuracy as dichotomous keys. Feedback from participant testers was uniformly positive.