Biological Sciences: Web Resources

FishBase is the premier biodiversity information website for all fishes of the world. A global species database covering more than 32,000 species, FishBase includes a wide range of information on all fish species currently known including their biology, ecology, taxonomy, life history, trophic features, population dynamics and uses, as well as historical information dating back 250 years. FishBase also includes analytical and graphical tools that allow users to transform raw data into information that can be used to assess fisheries and identify management techniques to restore depleted fish stocks

National Human Genome Research Institute

The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) is an international open data infrastructure, funded by governments. It provides a single point of access (through this portal and its web services) to more than 500 million records, shared freely by hundreds of institutions worldwide, making it the biggest biodiversity database on the Internet.

The Health and Environmental Research Online (HERO) database provides an easy way to access and influence the scientific literature behind EPA science assessments. HERO is an Evergreen database, this means that new studies are continuously added so scientists can keep abreast of current research. Imported references are systematically sorted, classified and made available for search and citation.

iBiology's mission is to convey, in the form of open-access free videos, the excitement of modern biology and the process by which scientific discoveries are made. iBiology.org (formerly ibioseminars.org and ibiomagazine.org) was started in 2006 by University of California, San Francisco and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, Professor Ron Vale; iBiology has grown to include over 300 seminars and short talks by the world’s leading scientists.

Provides an array of resources that will be of interest to those studying or working in the field of conservation.

From the Oregon State University Libraries. Includes the Linus Pauling Papers, documentary histories, and other Pauling resources.

Since 1998, The MarineBio Conservation Society (MarineBio) has been a nonprofit volunteer marine conservation and science education group working online together to educate the world about ocean life, marine biology, marine conservation, and to provide a sea ethic that we should all attempt to follow.

From the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The National Marine Sanctuaries Media Library is an online vault where a comprehensive collection of public domain photographs and short video clips from all 14 marine protected areas that NOAA manages and NOAA Ocean Exploration and Research are stored and available for searchable access and download.

The Neuroscience Information Framework is a dynamic inventory of Web-based neuroscience resources: data, materials, and tools accessible via any computer connected to the Internet. An initiative of the NIH Blueprint for Neuroscience Research, NIF advances neuroscience research by enabling discovery and access to public research data and tools worldwide through an open source, networked environment.

Lists neuroscience resources available online

From United States Geological Survey. This site has been established as a central repository for spatially referenced biogeographic accounts of introduced aquatic species. The program provides scientific reports, online/real-time queries, spatial data sets, regional contact lists, and general information. The data are made available for use by biologists, interagency groups, and the general public. The geographical coverage is the United States.

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.

Phys.org (formerly Physorg.com) is a leading web-based science, research and technology news service which covers a full range of topics. These include physics, earth science, medicine, nanotechnology, electronics, space, biology, chemistry, computer sciences, engineering, mathematics and other sciences and technologies.

Provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories.

The Allen Coral Atlas maps the world’s coral reefs and monitors their threats to provide actionable data and a shared understanding of coastal ecosystems.

The Registry's Repository contains thousands of documented parts with available DNA samples.

This database provides a catalogue of all living reptile species and their classification. The database covers all living snakes, lizards, turtles, amphisbaenians, tuataras, and crocodiles. Currently there are more than 10,000 species including another 2,800 subspecies. The database focuses on taxonomic data, i.e. names and synonyms, distribution and type data and literature references.

From the U.S. National Institutes of Health

VertNet is a NSF-funded collaborative project that makes biodiversity data free and available on the web. VertNet is a tool designed to help people discover, capture, and publish biodiversity data. It is also the core of a collaboration between hundreds of biocollections that contribute biodiversity data and work together to improve it. VertNet is an engine for training current and future professionals to use and build upon best practices in data quality, curation, research, and data publishing. The VertNet team includes collaborators from the Universities of California, Colorado, Kansas, and Tulane, and partners from wide-range of biodiversity projects, who are working to build upon the successes of four classic vertebrate networks (FishNet, MaNIS, HerpNET, ORNIS), to combine them into a single integrated data portal, and solve the problems that these networks face.

The WFO Plant List was launched in May 2021 as a next generation replacement for The Plant List, recognising the continuing need for a user-friendly, citable static list of all plant species. The WFO Plant List is a snapshot in time of the WFO Taxonomic Backbone – the dynamic global consensus classification used by WFO to organise and present floristic data. Like The Plant List, the WFO Plant List is a working list of all known plant species, but differs in that it is curated by the international taxonomic community. The Plant List has not been updated since 2013. The WFO Plant List aims to provide the highest quality information on which to base research, conservation, and the sustainable use of the world’s biological resources.

WRI is a global research organization that spans more than 50 countries, with offices in the United States, China, India, Brazil, Indonesia and more. Its work focuses on six critical issues at the intersection of environment and development: climate, energy, food, forests, water, and cities and transport. WRI is committed to producing high-quality research, including reports, working papers, issue briefs, and fact sheets.

Worldwater.org is dedicated to providing information and resources to help protect and preserve fresh water around the globe.

The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. For over forty years, the Society has been at the forefront of invertebrate protection worldwide, harnessing the knowledge of scientists and the enthusiasm of citizens to implement conservation programs.