Publication scientifique sur une clé d’identification visuelle
Sylvain Gutjahr, membre du réseau Tela Botanica, nous fait partager une publication en Open Acces.
Voici un article paru dans la revue Annals of Botany concernant une clé visuelle réalisée aux Etats-Unis :
Principles of visual key construction-with a visual identification key to the Fagaceae of the southeastern United States
Bruce K. Kirchoff, Roxanne Leggett, Va Her, Chue Moua, Jessica Morrison, and Chamika Poole
AoB Plants published online April 5, 2011, 2011:plr005.
Abstract
Background and aims Advances in digital imaging have made possible the creation of completely visual keys. By a visual key we mean a key based primarily on images, and that contains a minimal amount of text. Characters in visual keys are visually, not verbally defined. In this paper we create the first primarily visual key to a group of taxa, in this case the Fagaceae of the southeastern USA. We also modify our recently published set of best practices for image use in illustrated keys to make them applicable to visual keys.
Methodology Photographs of the Fagaceae were obtained from internet and herbarium databases or were taken specifically for this project. The images were printed and then sorted into hierarchical groups. These hierarchical groups of images were used to create the ‘couplets’ in the key. A reciprocal process of key creation and testing was used to produce the final keys.
Principal results Four keys were created, one for each of the parts-leaves, buds, fruits and bark. Species description pages consisting of multiple images were also created for each of the species in the key. Creation and testing of the key resulted in a modified list of best practices for image use visual keys.
Conclusions The inclusion of images into paper and electronic keys has greatly increased their ease of use. However, virtually all of these keys are still based upon verbally defined, atomistic characters. The creation of primarily visual keys allows us to overcome the well-known limitations of linguistic-based characters and create keys that are much easier to use, especially for botanical novices.
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Image d’illustration extraite de Principles of visual key construction-with a visual identification key to the Fagaceae of the southeastern United States, Bruce K. Kirchoff, Roxanne Leggett, Va Her, Chue Moua, Jessica Morrison, and Chamika Poole, AoB Plants.
2 commentaires
Diminuer la difficulté pour attirer plus d’amateurs, ça semble louable. Mais ensuite, il faut faire des efforts si on veut retenir quelque chose (par exemple, retenir du vocabulaire spécifique). Sinon, ça s’évapore et il ne reste rien dans le cerveau. La « clé visuelle » ne me semble donc pas une très bonne idée.
Aujourd’hui, je suis botaniste professionnel, utilisant des flores non ou à peine illustrées (Flora europaea, Stace, Lambinon, etc.). Mais la porte d’entrée à cette profession de botaniste n’a pas été le vocabulaire : ce fut l’image grâce à des guides illustrés d’identification. Le vocabulaire vient ensuite, par necessité, pour aller plus loin… Cet ordre d’apprentissage n’est que rarement respecté dans l’enseignement, ce qui cause chez beaucoup d’étudiant un désintéressement, voire un dégoût, pour la botanique… comme pour beaucoup d’autres domaines. Ce qui est bien dommage !