Library Research in Marine Ecology
Prepared by Anne Turhollow for Biology 517
Spring 2001
Searching for Information on the Web
We've all seen the ads or heard the hype: It's all on the Internet and it's all free. WRONG! Lots of information is not on the Internet; almost all books and most journals are not available. And it's certainly not free. (Think about it - if the library pays a publisher $3000 a year for journal subscription, is that same publisher is going to put that information up on the Internet for everyone to see?) Yes, we are beginning a transition to electronic formats, but it's going to take awhile. And it will be even longer before older journal articles and books are converted. (If ever!)
However, there is some very good information out there on the Internet, you just have to find it. Some journals are available on the World-Wide Web, a list of the ones available to this library and its patrons is available on the Library's website. And as you will see below a number of institutions have developed some well thought out and informative sites.
About the Internet
Some starting points if you are unfamilar with the Internet:
- Bare Bones 101: A Basic Tutorial on Searching the Web is a good way to get a quick, simple introduction or a refresher in how to search for information on the Internet. Created by Ellen Chamberlain of the University of South Carolina Beaufort Library.
- Finding Information on the Internet is a tutorial from the UC Berkeley Libraries. Includes sections on what the Internet is, how to search and a suggested order for using search tools.
Some Directories for Biology
Directories are large listings complied by humans. While some attempt to cover all areas, there are a few which focus on biology. Most directoriest to evaluate sites for content before adding them to their lists.
- CSU Bioweb
- A nice set of resources, easily searched. Focus is biology education. Maintained by Steven Wolf at CSU Stanislaus.
- The Virtual Library of Ecology and Biodiversity
- Major focus is conservation. So there are lots of links for endangered species. Includes a small area of links on introduced species. Maintained by the Center for Conservation Biology Network.
- WWW Virtual Library - Environment
- The section on water contains a wide set of links from academic departments to advocacy groups to government agencies to consulting firms. Maintained by Shay Mitchell of Earth Systems, Inc, a non-profit environmental information and education group.
- VL - Oceanography
- Nicely arranged by subject and geographically. Maintained by Dave
Stevens of the School of Mathematics at the University of East Anglia
(UEA) in Norwich, England.
There are two general directories worth looking at:
- LII - Librarians' Index to the Index
- A small (8,000) but choice set of sites with a nice focus on California. A project of the Library of California.
- Scout Report and Archives
- A larger collection of sites than LII with more of an academic focus. A twice monthly newsletter on Science and Engineering sites is available. Maintained by the Scout Project based at the Computer Science Department at the University of Wisconsin.
Search Engines
Search engines use machine created databases that do not evaluate resources. You will need to use several of them as no one search engine can encompass the entire World Wide Web. A good starting point is the Recommended Search Tools page from the InFoPeople Project. They also provide a quick overview of search tips for these tools. My personal favorite at the moment is Google.
Some Interesting Sites for Marine Biology
Collection of interesting and informative sites for marine biology and ecology. Found using various techniques.
- Reference Shelf
- A broad collection of scientific resources from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography Library.
- International Oceanographic Commission
- Wide range of services including a database of oceanographic Internet resources, directory of experts, and conference listsings.
- The Tree of Life Home Page
- An extremely ambitious project to show the phylogenetic relationships of all organisms. Still under construction, but lots of information anyway.
- UC Museum of Paleontology
- The star of museums on the Internet. Presents a wonderful series of online exhibitions. Take a look at the exhibit on phylogeny.
- Free Resources from Biosis
- An index to wide variety of Internet-based animal resources by the producers of Biosis and Zoological Record.
- NetVet and the Electronic Zoo
- A list of veterinary medicine and zoology sites created by Dr. Ken Boschert, a Veterinarian at Washington University's Division of Comparative Medicine
- Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary - Research Program
- Includes a wonderful online book describing the ecological communities of the Monterey Bay.
- Publications on Marine Animals at the MBL
- A variety of resources from the Marine Biology Laboratories at Woods Hole.
Class Topics
Invasive Species
- Invasivespecies.gov
- Check out the section on species profiles. One of a growing number of resources from the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII, for short).
- Nonindigenous Aquatic Species
- From the USGS covering both freshwater and marine species. Search engine to find out what nonindigenous species occur by state or drainage area
Plankton
- The Plankton Net
- From the University of Guelph in Canada. Good set of plankton research links around the world.
Biofouling
- Biofouling
- From the Biofouling Research Group at the University of New South Wales.
- Marine BioFoulNet
- A British site with links to research projects and groups around the world..
Local Information
- San Diego's Ocean
- A variety of resources from tide calculators and surf cams to the San Diego Bay Bibliography. Maintained by Peter Brueggeman at the SIO Library.
- Southern California Coastal Water Research Project
- The research body for a number of water and sewage agencies throughout Southern California, including San Diego.
