Binghamton University Libraries Ask a Librarian

Biological Diversity  

 

Biological diversity is a broad subject area. This guide is an overview to some of the resources in this area. For broader coverage of materials owned by the Libraries search the Library Catalog. If you need assistance with your research ask a reference librarian.

CONTENTS

Web Resources
Finding Articles
Finding Journals
Finding Books
Dictionaries, Encyclopedias and Other
Field Guides

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WEB RESOURCES

Biological diversity Web resources are numerous and vary in quality, therefore when searching the Web it is important to critically evaluate sources of information. See: The A B C Ds of Evaluating Internet Resources.

For information on citing sources see, Citing Sources.

The following Web sites contain a variety of information on plants, animals, and habitats:

BIOSIS: Resource Guide: Guide by Subject Categories

Description of the Ecoregions of the United States

Ecological Subregions of the United States

Integrated Taxonomic Information System

The National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII)

NOAA

United Nations Environment Programme - UNEP

UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

U.S. Geological Survey

United States Department of Agriculture

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FINDING ARTICLES

Bibliographic Citations: Indexes and Abstracts, Full-Text Databases

To find articles search databases that index and abstract journals.  These databases provide bibliographic citations, SFX links to electronic full-text of the articles (if available) and links to the Library Catalog.  If the Libraries do not own or have electronic access to the journal, the article can be requested through ILLiad the Libraries’ online interlibrary loan service.

AGRICOLA
Indexes agricultural literature.  SFX links to full-text and the Library Catalog.

BioOne
Full-text journals on biological, ecological, and environmental sciences.

BIOSIS (Biological Abstracts)
Indexes biological literature.  SFX links to full-text and the Library Catalog.

OneFile (InfoTrac)
Indexes multidisciplinary literature.  Full-text and SFX links to full-text and the Library Catalog.

Web of Science
Indexes multidisciplinary literature.  Can select “Science Citation Index Expanded.”  SFX links to full-text and the Library Catalog.

For more biology databases see: Biological Sciences

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FINDING JOURNALS

The Library Catalog, Full-Text Journals and Articles

The Libraries’ journals are available in print, electronic full-text, or a combination of formats.  Search the Library Catalog and the “Electronic Journals” Web page to see what titles the Libraries owns or has access to.  If the Libraries do not own the journal or have electronic access to it, the article can be requested through ILLiad the Libraries’ online interlibrary loan service.

Browse Current Journal Displays

Also in the Science Library the current journal displays are arranged by subject area.  One way to assess current topics is to browse the current journals.  The following are examples of titles that may be of interest (browse the displays for others):

Science Library General Display

Science Library Biology Display

Main Library General Display

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FINDING BOOKS

The Library Online Catalog

To find books the Libraries own, search the Library Catalog.  For help with searching see the online help screens, or the Libraries’ handout, Search Tips for BearCat (available in the reference areas of the Libraries).

Subject Searching in the Library Catalog

Examples of some (not all) subject headings:

Call Number Ranges

In the Science Library the following subject headings and call number ranges can be used to browse the shelves:

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DICTIONARIES, ENCYCLOPEDIAS AND OTHER

Dictionaries and encyclopedias are useful places to start when researching a topic.  These resources can be general or subject specific.  Dictionaries provide definitions of terms and encyclopedias are good for short summaries.  These resources are also useful for finding scientific names for common terms. Other resources are also available in the Science Library reference area.

Listed below are resources available in the Libraries, search the Library Catalog for others. 

Britannica Online 

A Dictionary of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics
Sci Ref QH540.4 .L56 1998  

Habitats and Ecosystems:  an Encyclopedia of Endangered America
Sci Ref QH76 .C73 1999  

The New Encyclopaedia Britannica
Sci Ref AE5 .E363

Encyclopedia of Biodiversity
Sci Ref QH541.15 .B56 E53 2001 

Encyclopedia of Environmental Biology
Sci Ref QH540.4 .E52 1995

Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia
Sci Ref QL3 .G7813

World Atlas of Biodiversity: Earth's Living Resources in the 21st Century
Sci Ref QH541.15 .B56 G762 2002

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FIELD GUIDES 

Field guides are useful sources for finding information about species and habitats.  Search the Library Catalog to find these resources.  Example searches are: 

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