Research Guides: Biology: Sub-discipline Resources

Genetics Resources

Check these links for genetics-specific resources, including primary resources and genome databases. For more general databases that include articles on genetics, please see the Start Your Research portion of the Biology subject guide.

OMIM - Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man
OMIM is a comprehensive, authoritative compendium of human genes and genetic phenotypes that is freely available and updated daily. OMIM is authored and edited at the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, under the direction of Dr. Ada Hamosh.
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"This database is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders authored and edited by Dr. Victor A. McKusick and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere, and developed for the World Wide Web by NCBI, the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The database contains textual information and references. It also contains copious links to MEDLINE and sequence records in the Entrez system, and links to additional related resources at NCBI and elsewhere."
National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI)
The home page for the NHGRI, which acts as a clearing house for genetic and genomic information of all kinds.
The Genome Database
This resource organizes information on genomes including sequences, maps, chromosomes, assemblies, and annotations.

Ecology Resources

Check these links for ecology-specific resources, including primary resources. For more general databases that include articles on ecology, please see the Start Your Research portion of the Biology subject guide.

Biodiversity Heritage Library
Offered by a consortium of 12 major US and UK botanical and natural history libraries with a collection of 46,000-plus titles and 90,000-plus volumes. The biodiversity-related items range in date from 1450 to the present.
The State of North America's Birds 2017
This report is an annual conservation vulnerability assessment for all 1,154 native bird species that occur in Canada, the continental United States, and Mexico.
USGS
The US Geological Survey provides a vast wealth of publicly available information related to ecology.

GreenFILE This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Start here when looking for well-researched information covering all aspects of human impact to the environment such as global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and recycling.
Content type: Abstracts, scholarly articles, grey literature, government reports, trade journal articles
Coverage dates: 1910-present
Language: English
Keywords: Green File
Birds of the World This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Explore detailed information on appearance, taxonomy, habitat, diet, breeding, conservation status, and more for every species, subspecies, and family of birds.
Content type: Encyclopedia articles, scientific illustrations, observational photographs and video, birdsong recordings, range and migration maps
Includes scholarly content from four major works of ornithology (Birds of North America, The Handbook of Birds of the World, Neotropical Birds, and Bird Families of the World), as well as millions of bird observations from eBird, and multimedia content from the Macaulay Library.
Language: English
Keywords: Cornell Lab Ornithology
USDA National Agricultural Library This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Good for indexed citations from AGRICOLA, PubAg, and the NAL Digital Collections (NALDC) on agriculture topics, food and human nutrition, forestry, aquaculture and fisheries, animal and veterinary sciences.
Content type: Abstracts of scholarly articles, book chapters, theses, patents, technical reports.
Coverage dates: 1970 - present
Language: English
Keywords: Pub Ag U.S. US Department
USGS Publication Warehouse This link opens in a new window
Why search here? Open access resource containing full-text sources authored by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Content type: Scholarly articles, book chapters, conference proceedings, government reports
Includes citations to other information products published by non-USGS authors.
Language: English

Molecular Biology Resources

Model Organism Databases

Biologists work with a variety of model organisms, many of which have open access databases and thriving research communities built around them. Below are links to resources for a few of the most common model organisms that are used by researchers at the 7Cs.

Drosophila (also know at the fruit fly):