KEY CONSTRUCTION NOTES AND CAVEATS
Many comprehensive keys are constructed without regard to the needs of ecological research and so consist of an overwhelming set of types or species and yet exclude many types endemic to a particular study area for the sake of larger breadth. The result is often the neglect of utilizing keys by researchers and a reliance solely on personal experience, institutional knowledge or drastically incomplete field guides for identification (except for truly mystifying specimens). The quality of ecological data can be improved by bridging this gap and tailoring comprehensive keys to particular communities under study and supplementing them with any additional relevant material.
This key is designed for assisting pollen analysis of sites in northern Wisconsin. Relevant taxa were determined by consulting Curtis’ Vegetation of Wisconsin. All species listed in the Appendices as “common groundlayer species” and modal species occurring in over 10% of plots were selected from relevant community types. The types used to reflect the vegetation were Northern Dry, Dry-Mesic, Mesic, and Wet-Mesic Forests, Boreal Forest, Pine Barrens, Sand Barrens, Bracken Grassland, Northern Weeds of Sandy and Heavy Soils, Weeds of Woodland Pastures, Northern Wet Forest, Alder Thickets, Emergent and Submerged Aquatics, Open Bog, Northern Sedge Meadow. Since species occur in multiple community types this list consists of 415 species.
The key is based primarily on treatments by Ronald O. Kapp, and McAndrews but certain taxa covered by Faegri are added, some additional notes made, and many taxa are of course left out. Taxa in parentheses are placed in the key on the assumption that they will key just like their congeners or have yet to be tested.
Given the parameters of its construction this key should be used with the following caveats:
1) The key relies on positive identification. If a choice does not fits in its entirety then it is likely that the specimen is from a species not included in the key and should be examined with more comprehensive resources.
2) The community context, in space and in time, should be kept in mind and caution should be used if the community changes beyond the bounds of the community types listed above.
3) The key is a work in progress. It is not entirely tested and far from complete. Constructive comments are appreciated! Nothing replaces good quality reference slides.
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