Subject Guides: Conservation Biology (BIOL 5090/6090): Databases & Web Resources

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

Library databases are the best place to find scientific journal articles, which are the primary kinds of sources you'll need for your rare species web page. A few that will be particularly helpful to you are listed below.

***In order to gain full access to articles, use the links on this course guide or log in through the AU Libraries website***

Zoological Record This link opens in a new window Equivalent of the printed Zoological record. Covers worldwide systematic zoological literature and other areas of zoology such as anatomy, morphology, physiology, reproduction, ecology, evolution, life history, and behavior. Coverage is from 1864 to the present.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window Indexes the top journals in the sciences. Provides ability to trace citations backward and forward - really helpful for quickly finding articles.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window The academic version of Google. Free to use, but make sure you go through the AU website and log in to access subscription-based materials Auburn pays for.
ASFA: Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts This link opens in a new window Covers worldwide literature on biology, ecology, and management of freshwater and marine environments. The complete database contains over 500,000 records to references from journals, conference proceedings, research reports, and selected books since 1978.
Biosis Citation Index This link opens in a new window An index with abstracts to periodicals in biology and the life sciences. Provides access to biological and medical research findings, clinical studies, and discoveries of new organisms. Coverage is international, and includes agriculture, biochemistry, biomedicine, biotechnology, genetics, botany, ecology, microbiology, pharmacology, and zoology. (10 simultaneous users)

Other Interesting Web Resources

Biodiversity Heritage Library
See info on Finding Original Species Description page.
Tree of Life Project (ToL)
ToL is an open access, database-driven project funded by NSF and the University of Arizona. One of their primary goals is to document and provide information about every species and for each group of organisms.
Map of Life
Integrates data from providers such as the IUCN, WWF, GBIF, and more to create describing species distributions worldwide (species range maps, species occurrence points, ecoregions, and protected areas).
PhyloT
Generates phylogenetic trees based on the NCBI taxonomy or Genome Taxonomy Database.

Government Websites

These sites have great summary information about basic life history, classification, etc . Most importantly, they include bibliographies where you can find tons more sources (which you can then find in the library catalog).

ECOS: Environmental Conservation Online System
Gateway web site that provides access to information in the USFWS and other government data sources. This central point of access providing public access to information from numerous Service databases.
PLANTS Database
Standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories.
ITIS: Integrated Taxonomic Information System
Authoritative taxonomic information on plants, animals, fungi, and microbes of North America and the world.

Web Resources

NatureServe
Developed by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) as a means for ranking or categorizing the relative imperilment of species of plants, animals, or other organisms, as well as natural ecological communities, on the global, national and/or subnational levels.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
Annual list released by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Includes information on species taxonomy, distribution, population size, and more.