High School

What is a dichotomous key, and how is it used in the identification of bacterial strains?

Answer :

Final answer:

A dichotomous key is a tool for identifying organisms by their characteristics. In bacterial strain identification, it helps by analyzing Gram reactions, morphologies, and metabolic assays.

Explanation:

A dichotomous key is a tool that consists of a series of paired statements used to identify organisms based on their characteristics. In the context of bacterial strain identification, a dichotomous key is developed using features like Gram reactions, morphologies, and metabolic assays.

By analyzing these characteristics and making successive choices between two alternatives, researchers can accurately classify and identify different bacterial strains.