ECOLOGY PROJECT FOR BIOLOGY September 11, 2008
Posted by Ms. Klemundt in Help with Assignments.trackback
Here are some ways to get started with your research.
Search for books in library catalogs. If you’re searching your public library catalog, search for the animal’s name but also do a Subject Browse for “Endangered species.” You will find books that contain information about many different endangered species and there should be a chapter or an entry about your particular species. If you only search by the animal’s name you may miss some good sources. A Subject Browse in the Niles Public Library catalog for Endangered species netted 154 hits, so there are lots of good books out there.
If your project is on a biome, use the name of the biome or “biomes” as a Keyword search. You can also use “Biotic communities” in a Subject search and get good results.
The Res Library has a number of books on animals, including a set we just purchased last spring. See my April 17 blog post for more information. You may also want to look at the 3-volume set, Endangered Species by Sonia Benson and Rob Nagel (on our shelves at REF 333.9542 BEN) and Endangered : Wildlife on the Brink of Extinction by George McGavin (on our shelves at REF 333.952 MCG). Search the Res Library catalog for more books.
We also recently purchased a set on individual biomes. They are listed in the June 4 blog post. And you might want to browse the 570s in the Res Library on both the Reference and the circulating sides for more good books.
There are 4 electronic databases we subscribe to that you might want to search. The links are listed below. You will need a blue sheet from the Res Library with the usernames and passwords in order to access these databases.
- Britannica Online (http://www.school.eb.com) Start here for good basic information on your animal (including its taxonomic name) or your biome. This database has 3 separate encyclopedias covering grades K-12 so make sure you choose “Encyclopedia Britannica” for material at your level before you start searching.
- EBSCO Science Reference Center (http://search.ebscohost.com) Once you login, choose the ”EBSCOhost Research Databases” link to get to the Science Reference Center. If you use the Advanced Search screen you can limit your search by date so you get only recent material. Check the left-side menu on your Results List to help you narrow your search by Subject.
- Reader’s Guide Full Text Select (http://vnweb.hwwilsonweb.com/hww/) This is a general database and you may end up with many hits. If you are researching an animal, try searching for your animal along with the word “endangered.” For example, enter “ostrich AND endangered” (without quotation marks) in the search box. Use the left-side menu to help you narrow your results by Subject. You might also want to click the “Feature articles” checkbox so you retrieve articles that are at least a couple of pages long.
- FACTS.com Today’s Science (http://www.2facts.com) There are a couple of good, but perhaps dated, overviews of biomes here. Search under both “biome” and “biomes” because you get slightly different results for each search. Try searching for animals but I don’t think this database is your best bet for that.
Some websites that might be useful:
- BBC Science & Nature, Animals (http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals) The “Wildfacts” and “Conservation” sections will be the most helpful.
- The World’s Biomes (http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/exhibits/biomes/) An excellent introduction from the University of California Museum of Paleontology.
- Wildlife Conservation Society (http://www.wcs.org) You can use the Search box or you can click on “Global Conservation” and then click on either “Places We Save” or “Priority Species” for more information.
- The National Zoo (http://nationalzoo.si.edu) The “Animals, etc.” and “Conservation & Science” tabs are both good entry points for the information on this site.
- WorldBiomes.com (http://www.worldbiomes.com) Provides an overview of the various biomes. The left-side frame highlights good print resources and the right-side frame highlights interesting web resources.
- Encyclopedia of Life (http://www.eol.org) This site is a work in progress. If your animal is included it’s a terrific source of information. If your animal isn’t on there yet, well, I guess you need to try somewhere else! If you do find your animal, look at the left-side Table of Contents for an outline of all of the information that is available.
- Major Biomes of the World (http://www.runet.edu/~swoodwar/CLASSES/GEOG235/biomes/main.html) This module is geared for college students and might be a bit dated, but it still has good basic information.
- Macaulay Library Sound & Video Library (http://animalbehaviorarchive.org) This site is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology but it contains sound and video for all kinds of animals, not just birds. Although you won’t be able to import sound or video into your paper (darn!), these clips might help you understand the adaptation mechanisms of your animal a little bit better.
- Center for Biodiversity and Conservation at the American Museum of Natural History (http://cbc.amnh.org/center/programs/wwd.html) Click on “Research (place-based)” if you’re studying a biome or “Research (species-based)” if you’re studying an animal.
- World Wildlife Fund (http://www.worldwildlife.org) The “Places” and “Species” tabs will be the most helpful. If you click the “Climate” tab and then look on the left-side menu, click on the “Publications” link to get some excellent reports.
You will, no doubt, find other good websites. But make sure you know who is authoring the site. It will be really embarrassing if you use a website that turns out to be the work of a 5th-grader in Idaho!
Don’t forget to check the bibliographies at the end of books, articles, and websites. They can often lead you to more sources. Take advantage of the research that has been done by others.
And come and talk to one of us in the Libray if you need help with your research.
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