Biology And The Places - The Living World

Taxonomical Aids

-Articles helpful in correct identification & classification of organisms arecalled taxonomical aids.

1-Herbarium:

- Store house of collected plant specimens that are dried, pressed & preserved on sheets.                                      

-Sheets are arranged according to universally accepted classificationsystem.

-used as ready reference in scientific studies.

2-Botanical Gardens:

-Collection of various living plant species in form of gardenfor identification purpose

-Used for identification of plants.

-Example: Royal Botanical Garden at Kew, England, Indian Botanical Garden Howrah,

National Botanical Research Institute Lucknow etc.

3-Museum:

-Collection of preserved plant &animal specimens.

-Specimens may be preserved in preservative solutions viz.Formalin (40%).

-Specimens may also be preserved as dry specimenseg. Insects and stuffed large animals.

-Skeleton of animals may be also as museum specimen.

-Used as actual material for study and identification.

Zoological Parks:

Place where wild animals are kept in protected environment under human care .

eg. Alipur zoo, Kolkata, West Bengal

     National Zoological Park of New Delhi

- Used as aid to learn about food habits and behaviour, Life cycle.

Key:

Taxonomical aid based on contrasting characters called as couplet.

- Couplet has two opposite statements, each called lead.

- Separate keys for separate taxonomic categories needed.

- Used to classify organism.

Flora:

Actual account of habitat & distribution of plant species in an area.