General Biology - BI151 Fall 2010
Library Research Lab - Invertebrates / Forest Habitat
Instructors:  Martin, Facey

Reference/Instruction Librarian:
Steven Burks
Office: Library 210
Phone: ext 2354
Email: sburks@smcvt.edu
My Reference Hours: Variable, I  work Tuesday evenings this semester-- 7:30 to 9 p.m. and some weekends
Appointments: Contact me via phone or email
General Reference Hours: Mon to Thurs (10 am -9pm) Fri (10 am - 5 pm), Sunday (1pm - 8pm)



Cicindela sexguttata,Six-spotted Tiger Beetle

Library Research Coverage 

I: Write/Rewrite introduction to your lab report paper on in light of the research literature found in the library session.

What subject areas do you need more background so that you can more fully understand the project you are going to pursue?

Find published research that verifies and expands on questions derived from your sand plain forest field studies.  Find books and reference sources that give background information on forests and plant species and invertebrates. Find 1-3 journal articles in this session that could be cited in your introduction that do the following

 A. Setting the stage” or context for this project - Are there similar studies done and reported on in the research literature?
    - Find background materials on Sand Plain Forests (Vermont and other regions)
    - Find research journal articles covering biodiversity in studies related to the ones you have done.

B. Main Question.- Read the journal articles and determine how the authors frame and relate their studies to the larger scientific context - Community Ecology
    For Example:
           Succession
           Community Structure
           Microhabitats
           etc.....
    What other subsets might be addressed in their articles?

C. Predictions: How do the researchers frame and justify their predictions in the journal articles you found?  What background information or direct observations led to their predictions? 

D. Similar or complementary findings:  Do any articles have similar or complementary findings to the results you found and interpreted in your field studies?


Main Outcome of the Library Lab: 

By reviewing the research literature, students expand their knowledge of how their research in the field addresses the scientific principles covered in this course: succession, specie diversity, community & population ecology, etc.  In addition, students gain an understanding of how predictions in the research literature are based on background information and observations made by scientists.


II: How to Find Resources

A. Example Search Statement

B. Journal Databases for Biology

C. Reference Sources

D. Online Catalog

E. Evaluating Sources

F. In-Lab Assignment - Find sources for your lab reports and poster sessions

G. Journal Finder - Find online and print journals by title or subject.


A. Example Search Statement  

Top of PageThe following simple search statement can be broken down to searchable terms.  Identify main concepts brake them down to synonymous, broader, or narrower terms.

Sand Plain Forests and Biodiversity of Invertebrates

Searchable Terms can be combined by the Boolean search term AND

Sand Plain Forests
sandplain
forest*
woodland*
shrubland* - (
pine barrens
scrub oak -  (Quercus ilicifolia)
heathlands
pine-oak-heath
pitch pines
rotting logs
dead wood
litter
riparian forest buffer
forest edge
edge effects
shade
shade toleran*
red maple - (acer rubrum)
canopy
canopy gap
canopy structure
 

Biodiversity
succession
diversity
distribution
species distribution
species composition
disturbance history
microhabitat
forest fragmentation
fire
habitat*
fire history
vegetation dynamics
land use
pitfall traps

Invertebrates
insect*
amphibian*
larval host*
beetle*
carabids
Carabidae
millipede* - (Class Diplopoda, Order Julidae)
buckmoth
taxa
salamander*
ants
moth* - (Ledidoptera)
buckmoth
anthrod*
cursorial -"legs modified for running"
 Epigaeic
"species area curve"






Truncation symbols (?, *, !) will provide variant spelling after the root word. 
For Example: forest* = forest, forests, forestry
 
B. Full text Databases and Science Indexes 
  • I. Journal Databases for Biology
    All of the databases and indexes below may be reached from the link above this page. 
     
    Biology Quick Search
      
     

    Search all of the following Life Science databases in one search with the Biology Quick Search above.
     

Science Databases

Academic Search Premier Info
ProQuest Biology Journals Info
Science Direct Info
JSTOR 

Info

BioOne.1 Info
MEDLINE

Info

AGRICOLA Info
Academic OneFile Info
Google Scholar Info

Example Searches in Academic Search Premier

sandplain forest* -
"sand plain" forest*

Edge Effects Search
(ecotones or "edge effect*") and invertebrate*

(ecotones or "edge effect*") and (invertebrate* or beetle* or amphibian* or millipede*)

Soil PH/Acidity Search
---(acer rubrum or "white pine*" or "red maple*") and (ph or acid* or soil) and (invertebrate* or millipede* or amphibian* or beetle*)

--forest* and (ph or acid*) and (invertebrate* or millipede* or amphibian* or beetle*)

Shade/light Search
(invertebrate* or millipede* or amphibian* or beetle* or insect* or moth* or amphibian*) and (forest* or wood* or sand plain or sandplain) and (distribution or abundan* or microhabitiat*) and (shade or canop*)


Other Searches
"pine barren*" -
"sand plain" and fire*
forest* and (beetles or millipedes) and fire

forest* and (beetles or millipedes) and succession
forest* and (beetles or millipedes) and microhabitat*
pine barrens and (invertebrate* or insect*) and microhabitat*
leaf litter and biodiversity and (insect* or inverterbrat*)
(((leaf litter or forest*) and biodiversity and (insect* or inverterbrat* or moth* or salamander* or ants))) and (fire or disturbance)
riparian and invertebrate* and biodiversity

(forest* or leave* or leaf*) and (invertebrat* or beetle* or millipede* or Diplopods) and (microhabitat* or habitat* or niche* or "edge effect?") and (biodiversity or diversity or distribution)  

 

C. Reference Materials
 Reference Materials

Reference Materials for the Sciences can be found in the section: Q.  Species can be found in QL.   Botany and Plant topics can be found in QK and SB-SD.

  • Species Reference -  QL section for print

    Grzimek's Animal Encyclopedia
    REF QL 3 .g7813

    American Beetles  Vol 1-2
    REF QL581 A43 2001

    American Insects
    REF QL474 .A76

    An inordinate fondness for beetles
    REF QL573 .E89 1996
     

  • Plants Reference

    Eastern Trees
    QK115 P46

    The Illustrated Book of Trees
    REF QK482 G73 1983

    Mushrooms of North America
    REF QK617 P552

    Flora of North America
    REF QK110 P55

    Dictionary of the Fungi
    REF QK600.35

    Lichens of North America
    REF QK586.5 B76

Electronic Reference Sources

AccessScience  - Excellent online science encyclopedia

Biology  (4 vol encyclopedia)

Beacham's Guide to the Endangered Species of North America

The Tree of Life
A distributed Internet project containing information about phylogeny and biodiversity. The Tree of Life Phylogenetic Navigator is a system designed to link biological information available on the Internet. It provides taxonomic and systematic information (diversity, phylogeny) of various groups of organisms. The display of these links is in the form of a phylogenetic tree linking the organisms

Encyclopedia of Life
A highly anticipated project starting in 2008

 

D. Online Catalogs
Library Catalog  

Other Library Catalogs: UVM, WorldCat
Available @ http://www.smcvt.edu/library/books/other.asp 

Keywords:

New England Forests
Soil biology
Invertebrates
Soil ecology

 

WorldCat The OCLC Online Union Catalog, containing over 50 million records of books, Web resources, and other material owned by libraries worldwide. You may get books delivered via Interlibrary Loan.

 

E. Evaluating Sources  Top of Page
 

 


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In-Lab Assignment

Write out a simple search statement in sentence form in the box below. 

 

 

 

Circle the two or three main concepts in your search statement and break them down into synonymous, narrower, or broader terms:

Term 1

1.

2.

3.

more...

 

Term 2

1.

2.

3.

 

Term 3

1.

2.

3.

 

Combine terms in your database searches
 

Find published research that verifies and expands on questions derived from your sand plain forest field studies.  Find 1-2 books or reference sources that give background information on forests and plant species and invertebrates. Find 1-3 journal articles in this session that could be cited in your introduction.  These sources can be used as references for your Poster Session. The graphics that you find in AccessScience could be used for your poster sessions.

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