Keys
Description: Identification will be made by use of classification or dichotomous keys provided
at the event.
Number of Participants: 2
The Competition
1. Identification of items from nature will be made using
various keys provided at the event.
2. “Items from nature” may mean, but not be limited
to, such things as: wildflowers; mammals; reptiles;
amphibians; worms; clouds; algae. It does not
mean keys contrived for such things as types of candy, types of
pasta, styles of shoes, etc.
3. A key can take many forms and one or several of these may be
used: dichotomous written in phrases or sentences and those
in the form a flow chart.
4. The key will be a revised version of a published scientific
key that has been adapted to the needs of our participants and the
topic[s] selected for the event.
5. Everyday terminology will not be accepted for the
answer. It will be in scientific terminology, even if that
terminology is created for that key. [e.g. round red
toothpick might be “toothpickus roundus rubra”]
6. If certain terminology is needed to use the key, an
explanation will given with the key or those terms will be provided to
the coaches and the team is responsible for learning them prior to
Olympiad Day. [e.g. If a team must know ‘stipule’ or
‘rachis’ to use a wildflower key, those terms will be shown
in a diagram or given to the coaches at the November meeting for the
team to learn]
7. There will be at least three keys [one easy, one medium, one
difficult]. There can be more than three keys
Scoring
The team with the greatest number of correct answers wins.
Tie Breaker [if any]
Team with greatest number of scientific names spelled correctly
prevails.