Evolution & Evolutionary Biology - University at Buffalo Libraries

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Evolution & Evolutionary Biology

This guide lists sources of information to assist students who are exploring evolution & evolutionary biology. All of the sources listed can be found in the University at Buffalo's Arts & Sciences Libraries or on the World Wide Web. For further assistance, contact Fred Stoss.

Reference Works - Background Information

When exploring a new topic or researching a familiar topic or from a new perspective, you can locate iintroductory sources that give basic background information about the subject. Some of the information that a background search can provide includes:

Broad overview of the subject
Definitions of the topic
Introduction to key issues
Names of people who are authorities in the subject field
Major dates and events
Keywords and subject-specific vocabulary terms that can be used for database searches
Bibliographies that lead to additional resources

Guides to the literature are resources providing various levels of instruction in locating subject-specific information. They generally provide you with the terminology and indexing language required to identify and access the primary (journals articles, patents, technical reports, theses and dissertations, etc.) and the secondary literature (e.g., dictionaries and glossaries, handbooks, directories, encyclopedias, atlases, factbooks, etc.). Such literature guides (aka pathfinders) provide an access route to primary and secondary resources. They are extremely useful for novice users and non-experts of the literature in a particular field.

Encyclopedias are one of the more frequently used, all-purpose reference books to find background information. Encyclopedias are important sources to consider when initially researching a topic. General encyclopedias provide basic information on a wide range of subjects in an easily readable and understandable format.

If you are certain about what subject area you want to choose your topic from, you might want to use a specialized or subject encyclopedia instead. Subject encyclopedias limit their scope to one particular field of study, offering more detailed information about the subject.

Keep in mind that for academic writing most university instructors DO NOT accept encyclopedia articles as cited sources for scholarly papers. Therefore, encyclopedias should only be used to find topics or look for background information.

General encyclopedias provide information about nearly every topic. Using an encyclopedia is an effective way to quickly get a broad overview of a subject. Some encyclopedias will provide more in-depth information than others; however, any general encyclopedia is a good source to consult for background informatiion of your chosen subject area. Most encyclopedias provide the following:

Main concepts
Titles of important books written about topic
Names of authors who have written about topic
Keywords and subject terms related to topic
Lists of related articles or additional resources

Subject-specific encyclopedias are important background sources for information. Unlike general encyclopedias which cover a wide range of topics, subject-specific encyclopedias focus their information in one particular subject area. Some features of subject-specific encyclopedias include:

Detailed articles written by experts within a field
Extensive and comprehensive bibliographies of important resources

HELPFUL HINT:
Go to Encyclopedias by Subject for a list of subject-specific online encyclopedias.

Go to Resources by Subject for a list of subject-specific and electronic resources including encyclopedias

This is a list (in no particular order) of some of the reference works that you will find in UGL/SEL (Undergraduate Library/Science and Engineering Library) Reference Area on the First Floor of Capen Hall. The Reference Area is identified with a sign over the Reference Desk and the reference collection is behind the desk extending to the windows on the west side of the first floor of Capen. The reference books are arranged in Library of Congress order. These books cannot be taken out of the library.

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences, 16 vols. UGL/SEL Ref QH 302.5 E53 2002. Comprehensive treatment in the field of biological and life sciences.
A Guide to the Zoological Literature: The Animal Kingdom George H. Bell and Diane B. Rhodes.
UGL/SEL Ref QL45.2 .B43. A guide to the literature resources for zoology arranged in a phylogentic order from invertebrates to mammals. Includes geographic sections.
Using the Biological Literature: A Practical Guide , 2nd Ed. Chapter 9. "Ecology, Evolution, and Animal Behavior," pp. 220-257. Elisabeth B. Davis and Diane Schmidt. UGL/SEL REF QH 303.6 .D38 1995.
Guide to Information Sources in the Botanical Sciences, 2nd Ed. Elisabeth B. Davis and Diane Schmidt. UGL/SEL REF QK45.2 D26 1996. A guide to the literature of plants.
Internet for the Molecular Biologist, 2nd Ed. UGL/SEL REF QH506 I57 2004. A guide to Internet resources in molecular biology.
Biosciences on the Internet. UGL/SEL REF QH303.5 D87 2002. An inventory of web-based resources, their use, and how to employ them in biology research and education/learning environments.
Biology Resources in the Electronic Age. UGL/SEL REF QH303.5 B39 2003. A basic guide to Internet resources and their effective use.
Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Evolution
HSL (encyclopedias) GN281 .C178
Dictionary of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics
UGL/SEL Ref QH540.4.L56. Coverage includes topics related to botany, zoology, bacteriology, palaelntology from the perspective of evolution, ecology, and biological systematics.
The Encyclopedia of Evolution: Humanity's Search for Its Origins
LML or UGL/SEL Ref GN281 .M53
Endangered Species: A Reference Handbook
UGL/SEL Ref QL82.S49. This is a guide to the literature and resources related to endangered species. Provides very useful background information.
Endangered Species of the World
UGL/SEL Ref QL83.E55 (vols. 1-10) This work is one of the most comprehensive reference works on endnagered species from around the world. Profiles of individual species include biology, systematics, threats to the species, and a list of literature references.
Grizimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia
UGL/SEL Ref QL3.G7813 (vols. 1-13). Grizimek's is the state of the art encyclopedic work for the entire Animal Kingdom with detailed profiles of many species, arranged by major animal groups.
The Official World Wildlife Fund Guide to Endangered Species of North America
UGL/SEL Ref QL84.2.O35 (vols. 1-6) This is a comprehensive guide to North America's endangered species with profiles of individaul plant and animal species. Extensive indexes include geographic regions and subregions, states and provinces, and other systematic access to the organisms listed.
The Official World Wildlife Fund Guide to Extinct Species of Modern Times
UGL/SEL Ref QH75.W675 This is a comprehensive guide species with profiles of individaul plant and animal species that have become extinct in modern times.
Predators and Predation: The Struggle for Life in the Animal World
UGL/SEL REF QL 758 .P735 1989.
Encyclopedia of Evolution 2 vols. UGL/SEL Ref QH 360.2 E54 2002 Essays in this work introduce the major concepts of evolution, and also provide their philosophical and historical contexts.
Life Science Dictionary has more than 6700 terms that deal primarily with biochemistry, biotechnology, botany, cell biology and genetics. It also has some terms relating to ecology, pharmacology, toxicology and medicine. Internet resources are also listed.

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Locating Books

The BISON Catalog allows you to find materials owned by the University at Buffalo Libraries. You can use the UB Libraries Catalog to find books, journals and magazines, technical reports, government documents, maps, manuscripts, and microforms on the UB campuses.

See Searching Tips for help using BISON, including helpful hints for using these electronic systems and planning strategies for doing library research in UB Libraries. UB Libraries Catalog Searched by:

Author name

Title (beginning with first title word)

Keyword (the most general means to search words anywhere in an online record)

Subject (using specific Library of Congress Subject Headings (more specific than a keyword search)

At the undergraduate level there is a need for the student to locate appropriate information to stimulate their interests and sustain their desires for learning, and meet the requirements for more advanced study and inquiry. Introductory textbooks in specific disciplines of biology (e.g., botany, zoology, ecology) can be extremely useful places to locate information more detailed and advanced than encountered in a general, introductory level general biology text. In many cases these more advanced biology texts are works used for upper-division biology classes.

If you are looking for information related the evolution of insects, a text book in invertebrate zoology or entomology will provide much more detailed information than in a general biology text. Similarly, the evolution and systematic of birds will be found in a textbook on ornithology. Information on the evolutionary biology of fishes will be found in a text on ichthyology or fisheries biology. Using subject-specific textbooks (located by using the title or subject access to the library catalog) will provide sufficient background and information while saving the student hours of often frustrating work looking for information on the Internet. The key is finding the appropriate subject for the topic you are studying. If you have any questions you can ask any reference librarian for assistance, or contact Fred Stoss, the Biological Sciences Librarian, for assistance.

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Library of Congress Subject Headings

Library of Congress (LC) Subject Headings used as Subject Terms in the BISON Catalog, can also be used as good starting points for terms in other indexes and abstracts (print and online). LC Subject Headings are standard terms and concepts used to index (locate) resources in indexes, abstracts, library catalogs. The Library of Congress uses more than 162,000 subject headings to provide comprehensive access to library resources. The 3-volume set of the Library of Congress Subject Headings (aka "The Red Books") are found in Lockwood Library. LC Subject Headings are very good starting points for examining the keyword terminologies of indexes and abstracts.

Library of Congress Subject Headings related to Evolution

Broader Terms:

Botany--Variation

Heredity

Mutation (Biology)

Zoology--Variation

Related Terms:

Extinction (Biology)

Man--Origin

Natural selection

Kin selection evolution

Sexual selection in animals

Ontogeny

Phylogeny

Narrower Terms:

Adaptation (Biology)

Acclimatization

Cold adaptation

Stress physiology

Behavior evolution

Coevolution

Competition (Biology)

Habitat partitioning (Biology)

Niche (ecological)

Plant competition

Resource partitioning (Ecology)

Females--Evolution

Group selection (Evolution)

Holism

Homology (Biology)

Human evolution

Isolating mechanisms

Life--Origins

Living fossils

Micro-organisms--Evolution

Mimicry (Biology)

Missing link

Nervous system--Evolution

Plants--Evolution

Stars--Evolution

Sun--Evolution

Symbiogenesis

Viruses--Evolution

Women--Evolution

Additional terms and concepts related to evolutionary biology can also be found with Archeology, Anthropology, and Paleontology (Paleobiology, Paleobotany, Paleozoology).

To look for specific types of resources (e.g., dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories, handbooks, periodicals) use:

Evolution--Dictionaries

Natural Selection --Directories

Genetics--Periodicals

"Evolution" can also be used as a subdivision term to locate resources on evolution for a particular organism, group, tissue, or organ system:

Fishes--Evolution

Plants--Evolution

Gills--Evolution

Heart--Evolution

or within a specific geographic region:

Evolution--Africa

Evolution--Galapagos Islands

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Journals

You can locate journals (but NOT journal articles) in the BISON Catalog. From the Libraries Home Page, go to the "Catalog" file tab and connect to the Catalog. Go to the "Journals" tab (second from left).

Check Availability

If you know the journal's title, or the first (beginning) words of the title, enter the title of the journal for specific titles in the search box and select the "title begins with" option. Click the bar to determine what specific volumes and issues are held in the UB Libraries. This will let you know if we have this journal title in print and/or online formats. You can check to see what journals we have in electronic, full-text, online fomats by going to the UB Libraries Home Page and in the Quick Links section click on the "Electronic Journals" bar. Enter the journal's title as directed. You will get a list of the means by which you can electronically access the journal. Interlibrary Loan request can be made for items not held by UB Libraries. The list below is a partial inventory of print and online journals currently subscribed at UB Libraries. Be sure to look for journals in BOTH online and print formats. Journals in the Science and Engineering Collection are on the 3rd floor of Capen. Current issues are in the Current Periodicals section to the right after exiting the elevator (in alphabetic order by title). Bound periodicals are on the east side of the 3rd floor of Capen (these are arranged by Library of Congress call number).

HSL = Health Sciences Library (South Campus)
Lock = Lockwood Library
SEL = Science & Engineering Library
UGL = Undergraduate Library

Biological Journal of the Linnean Society: A Journal of Evolution (SEL)

Cladistics: International Journal of the Willi Hennig Society (SEL)

Evolution (SEL)

Evolutionary Ecology (SEL)

Evolutionary Ecology Research (SEL)

Evolutionary Theory and Review (Lock)

Heredity (HSL)

Heredity: An International Journal of Genetics (SEL)

Journal of Evolutionary Biochemistry and Physiology (HSL)

Journal of Evolutionary Biology (SEL)

Journal of Human Evolution (HSL)

Journal of Molecular Evolution (HSL)

Molecular Biology and Evolution (HSL)

National Geographic Research (Lock)

Origins of Life (HSL)

Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere (HSL)

Oxford Surveys in Evolutionary Biology (SEL)

Research and Explorations (Lock)

Trends in Ecology and Evolution (SEL)

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Websites

BIO 200 Evolutionary Biology is a comprehensive list of evolutionary biology websites created specifically for UB students taking Biology 200, Evolutionary Biology.

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