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A NUMERICAL REPRESENTATION FOR TAXONOMIC KEYS
Author(s) -
OSBORNE D. V.
Publication year - 1963
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1963.tb06309.x
Subject(s) - identification (biology) , computer science , representation (politics) , key (lock) , computation , field (mathematics) , theoretical computer science , artificial intelligence , ecology , mathematics , algorithm , biology , pure mathematics , political science , computer security , law , politics
S ummary Some of the limitations of the usual type of dichotomous taxonomic key are pointed out. It is suggested that a particular method of representing the characteristic features of a species in numerical form can overcome some of these limitations. Identification by this method is rapid, can often be made correctly in spite of minor errois of observation, and requires no computation or computing equipment. The method may therefore be of particular use in the field.