RESEARCH WORK

Creation of a methodology of interactive keys from the reconstruction of published analytical keys

I. A. Yepes, R. Machado y Yuseika Olivera

Estación Experimental de Pastos y Forrajes "Indio Hatuey"Central España Republicana. CP 44280. Matanzas. Cuba

E-mail: ivan.yepes@indio.atenas.inf.cu

ABSTRACT

The objective of this work was to create a methodology of interactive keys from the reconstruction of published text keys. The general key of the book "Árboles de Cuba"(Trees from Cuba), in which the technique of building text keys through the traditional method is explained, was used as a model; in this book there are important tree and shrub genetic resources for forage and other usages, which served as basis. The text processor Microsoft Office Word 2003 was used. Many bibliographic materials were also reviewed, giving access to wide information about tree and shrub taxa for forage and other usages, which was compiled and arranged. The use of this methodology facilitates the completion of the bothersome table work presupposed by the use of keys built by the traditional method. It allows developing skills in the identification and characterization of plant resources and it can be used to reconstruct interactive keys of other biological groups dichotomously classified. The consultation of this material is recommended to all those specialists who are related to the activities of identification and characterization of plant biodiversity or other living beings; it is also recommended to edit the reconstructed keys for tree and shrub genetic resources for forage and other usages; as well as to create specialized software from reconstructed interactive keys based on this methodology.

Key words: Interactive keys, method

INTRODUCTION

Analytical keys are not considered a classification method, but constitute an auxiliary means that facilitates for specialists the identification of biodiversity in the different taxonomic categories: family, genus or species. In the work conducted with text keys, Parrado (2006) stated that the auxiliary methods and techniques used in the construction of keys are manually made, with a traditional or routine usage in plant taxonomy works. In this sense, the work with keys can be substantially improved with the introduction of interactive keys, that is, with the use of programs that allow an interaction, in dialog mode, between the computer and the user; a way that also allows their exchange and expansion based on the computer networks, which aid communication among specialists who live in geographically distant spaces.

In livestock production there is a relevant component represented by the tree cover, which fulfills a group of interrelation functions with the rest of the system. The latter are based on: shading, nutrient recycling, solar energy reception, CO2 capture, antierosion effect, wood production, forages, organic matter incorporation to the system and regulation of water evaporation (Fernández et al., 2009).

The objective of this work was to create a methodology of interactive keys from the reconstruction of published text keys, based on those important plant genetic resources.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Model key

The review of the book "Árboles de Cuba"(Trees from Cuba) (Bisse, 1988), together with other bibliographic materials related to the topic, allowed proving that only in this and a few works the text key construction technique by the traditional method is explained in detail, as in the case of Méndez and Castellanos (1994) and Mestres and Torres (2008).

For such reason, in order to create the methodology of computerized interactive keys from the reconstruction of published analytical keys, the general key proposed by Bisse (1988) was used as model, text in which, among others, important tree and shrub genetic resources for forage and other usages are cited, which served as basis for the construction of those keys.

Compilation and creation of the methodology

The abundant information obtained about the tree and shrub taxa for forage and other usages, was compiled and arranged in detail in correspondence with the interests of this work and, from the indications and design for the construction of the keys, a methodology was created with which the reconstruction of the interactive keys was achieved, applying it to the above-mentioned plant genetic resources and which is also applicable to other plant groups and other biological entities classified through dichotomous keys.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

For the reconstruction and inclusion of new taxa from an already-made key, the following steps are followed:

1. The botanical information extracted from the bibliography of each taxon of interest is digitalized and an index card is created in text form, for its later management. This information should include: family, genus, nomenclature and taxonomy, vernacular or common name, botanical description, distribution and ecology, main usage and bibliographic references. Once the edition of the index card is concluded, the vegetative morphological characters are shaded with a color (which can be green or any other). Afterwards, the selection of the diagnosis characters, which are used in the new key, is carried out, and the whole key text is edited for its later modification. It is essential that the identification keys are dichotomous in all cases.

2. All the published information on the taxa key is arranged for its later operability, based on: alphabetical arrangement of all the genera or species by key; the genera with the name of the family and the families with their genera.

3. In order to detect printing mistakes in all the key pathways, an inverse review of all the outputs of the analytical key is made, from the end to the inputs.

4. For the inclusion of new taxa in the key, the specialist builds a dendrite in which these hierarchical groups are successively discriminated, following pairs of mutually excluding descriptive characters, until specifying a group of alternatives that allow identifying each of them. This dendrite allows a faster visualization of all the necessary pathways for identification, as well as detecting and analyzing the possible pathways and the different levels that must be changed or added. In order to carry out this step, the methodology described by Méndez and Castellanos (1994) was taken up again.

It is important for the specialist to take into consideration that the construction of this tool (dendrite) is nothing more than an inverted pyramid, which starts, in its first level, with two alternatives, and that by each added level it will obtain the double of the alternative addition (fig. 1). The quantity of levels that will be created is limited by the result derived from the introduced alternatives, considering that it must be constructed from a first to a fifth level. Thus the trend to an exaggerated increase of the inverted tree is broken (fig. 2). This allows, as strategy, maintaining the results in less than five levels, because it is very bothersome to string together many taxa with their respective information with dichotomous criteria. As an example of the above-explained, a dendrite made from the general key developed by Bisse (1988), which has four levels, is shown (fig. 3).

5. With the arranged information, as it is stated in step two of the methodology, the necessary information of the taxonomic group closest to the new one that is going to be included is searched, in order to be inserted in the key session to be modified, according to their affinities.

6. Afterwards, the rebuilt text key is written, stringing together the different levels of the dendrite. The key consists in question pairs marked by a number, which will be differentiated by the two alternatives: with the plus sign (+) and the minus sign (-), thus indicating that these possibilities are excluding.

Each alternative leads the specialist to other numbers which also offer two possibilities and thus successively, until arriving to the final result (genus or species). Once the modified key is concluded and in order to add new information, the dichotomy is broken in the alternative that is circumstantially desired. For that purpose a transitory number is included (tabla 1) as indicator to be followed in the second alternative. The first part of the alternative is maintained and the second part is moved two lines below, and in substitution of the remnant space the new dichotomy is added until concluding the last new dichotomous criterion.

Afterwards, the previously-moved second part is added, so that the rest of the text key continues intact.

It is important to emphasize that work is done only in the range of the key where the group that will be modified is specifically present.

However, two ways can be used: a) The text key is made, without developing the dendrite, and interactively include the information up to the result (tabla 1).
This choice does not fulfill the principle of the results in less than five levels; b) The text key is made with the already-developed dendrite, as in the example of figure 3 and with less than five levels with dichotomous criterion the final result is arrived at (tabla 2).

7. If it is necessary, some information with alternatives of the original key is repeated in the new dichotomies, so that it allows springing together the following ones.

8. Once the rebuilt analytical key is concluded, it is renumbered in order to make a new reprinting from the last number of the original key, without variation until the end of the key. Afterwards a copy is made and the text is homogenized in only one color (automatic), for its final printing and later validation. The renumbering of the key is very comfortable when done by sectors, with the interactive arrangement form, because it is always faster if it is compared to the traditional method.

Steps 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and 8 can be developed interactively, which is much more comfortable, because it offers the possibility of inserting the information in the text key of those diagnosis characters selected in the different botanical descriptions, as desired. In addition, it is possible to combine the color of the specific information by genus or species to be identified, which can be enlarged or reduced for its validation. This facilitates the optimization of any adjustment of the botanical information, which can be confirmed in table 1.

To maintain the original key edited is recommended, so that it allows making possible adjustments in the future, regarding new characterization or nomenclature changes.

This procedure can be used for the reconstruction of published keys for other botanical groups and even for other biological organisms which are classified by dichotomous keys.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of the methodology of interactive keys from the reconstruction of published analytical keys facilitates the completion of the bothersome table work presupposed by the use of keys built through the traditional method for the identification of botanical groups. It allows developing skills in the identification and characterization of plant resources; in turn, it can be used to reconstruct interactive keys for other dichotomously-classified biological groups.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The consultation of this material is recommended to all those specialists who are related to the activities of identifying and characterizing plant biodiversity or other living beings; in addition to editing the interactive keys reconstructed for tree and shrub genetic resources for forage and other usages; creating specialized software from interactive keys rebuilt on the basis of this methodology; as well as utilizing the text processor Microsoft Word 2003 (or other similar processor) for the reconstruction of interactive keys.