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Biology 110: BioBlitz Resources

 

Contact

Kathy Fescemyer
Title: Life Sciences Librarian


Course Info

Course Name:
  Biol 110: BioBlitz
Semester:
  Fall
Campus:
  University Park (UP)
Instructor:
  Multiple Sections

Overview

green fern

BioBlitz is an exercise in sampling and identifying biological organisms in a defined area to estimate the biodiversity of the area.  To help identify the organisms the following resources are available at the University Libraries or on the Web.

These sources are general and cover both plants and animals

The rest of the resources are divided into five areas, Plants, Horticultural Resources, Fungi (Mushrooms), Arthropods and Vertebrates.  Because campus has many landscaping plants from many areas of the world, you may need to consult horticulture and garden resources to identify your specimens.

Books are available in a special BioBlitz section of the Life Sciences Library (at the end of the "Current Journals" area) 4th Floor of Paterno Library

Also Gale Virtual Reference is a very good source of encyclopedia articles.  Access it from Try These First on the Libraries Home Page.

If you find other helpful Web sites or books, please feel free to send them to me at kaf12@psu.edu to add to these lists.

Plants

 

General Plant Guides

Web Sites

The Plants Database  

Books

     Call Numbers: QK110–QK125  -  Plants and Wildflowers
                         QK 183  -  Pennsylvania Plants
                         QK 482–QK484  -  Trees

  • A field guide to eastern forests, North America.  Kricher, John C. 1998. QH102.K75 1998
  • A field guide to medicinal plants and herbs of eastern and central North America. 2nd ed.  Foster, Steven.  QK99.U6F68 1990 Life Sciences Library Reference
  • The plants of Pennsylvania : an illustrated manual.  Ann Fowler Rhoads and Timothy A. Block.       QK183.R56 2007 -- Life Sciences Library Reference
  • How to Know the Lichens. Hale ME. Dubuque, Iowa: W. C. Brown Co; 1969.  QK587.H25

 

 

Ferns

Books

Call Number -- QK 525

  • How to Know the Ferns and Fern Allies. Mickel J. 1979.  QK524.5.M52
  • A Field Guide to Ferns and their Related Families : Northeastern and Central North America  2nd ed.  Cobb, Boughton.  2005.   QK525.C749 2005
  • The Ferns and Allied Plants of Pennsylvania. Thomas R. Lord and Holly J. Travis.  2006.  QK525.5P4.L67 2006
 

Trees

Web Sites

Common Trees of Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

What Tree is That?  Arbor Day Foundation

Leafsnap: an Electronic Field Guide

Discover Life - Trees Identification Guide and Checklist

Books

Call Numbers:  QK 115, QK 482

  • Trees of Pennsylvania: a complete reference guide.  Ann Fowler Rhoads and Timothy A. Block. QK183.R562 2005  --  Life Sciences Library Reference
  • A Field Guide to Eastern Trees : Eastern United States and Canada.  George A. Petrides.  1988.   QK115.P46 1988
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Trees of the Americas.  Tony Russell, Catherine Cutler, Martin       Walters.  2005.   QK109.R87 2005
  • National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Trees, Eastern region.  Elbert L. Little.  1995.  QK481.L495 1995
  • The Trees of Pennsylvania.  William Carey Grimm.  1950. QK484.P4G7
  • Bark : a Field Guide to Trees of the Northeast.  Michael Wojtech. 2011.  QK117.W65 QK484.P4G7
 

Mosses

Web Sites

Forest Mosses -- Pennsylvania Cooperative Extension

Learning about Mosses in our Northeastern Woodlots: An Introduction -- USDA

Introduction to Moss Identification

Books

  • A Manual of the Mosses of Western Pennsylvania.  Jennings OE.  1913.  QK541.J4
  • How to Know the Mosses and Liverworts: Pictured-Keys for Determining Many of the North American Mosses and Liverworts, with Suggestions and Aids for their Study. Conard 1956.  QK541.C6QK541.C6
       

Horticultural Resources

Web sites

Plant Encyclopedia  --  BHG

http://www.ag.auburn.edu/hort/landscape/leafid  --  Plant Identification Resource  --  Auburn University Horticulture Department

Books

  • The New York Botanical Garden illustrated encyclopedia of horticulture. Thomas H. Everett.  SB317.58.E94  -- Life Sciences Library Reference Collection
  • American Horticultural Society encyclopedia of plants and flowers.  [editors in chief, Christopher Brickell & Trevor Cole]. SB403.2.A438 2002 
  • The American Horticultural Society A-Z encyclopedia of  garden plants.  Christopher Brickell, H. Marc Cathey. SB403.2.A45 2004   
  • The Firefly encyclopedia of trees & shrubs: illustrated A-Z of over 8500 plants. SB435.F57 2001

Fungi (Mushrooms)

Web Sites

Finding Fungi

Mushroom Expert

Books

Call Number:  QK 617

  • Mushrooms of Northeast North America. Barron GL. Edmonton: 1999.  QK617.B372 1999
  • North American Mushrooms:  A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi.  Miller, Orson K and Hope H Miller  2006.   QK605.M55 2006
  • Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachian Mountains.  Roody, William C.  2003.  QK617.R64 2003
  • Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms. Gary H. Lincoff.  1981.  QK617.L56 
  • Field Guide to Wild Mushrooms of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic. Bill Russell. 2006.  QK605.5.P4.R87 2006

Arthropods

Web Sites

Insect Identification

Bug.Guide.Net from Iowa State University Entomology

Butterflies and Moths

Books

Call Number Area:  Insect books are found in the area of QL473

Invertebrates not Insects or Spiders

  • Soil Animals. Schaller, Friedrich.  1968.  QL110.S313
  • Earthworm Ecology. edited by Clive A. Edwards. 2nd ed.  2004.  QL391.A6E25 2004
  • The Biology of Millipedes. Stephen P. Hopkin and Helen J. Read.  1992. QL449.6.H67 1992
  • Woodlice. Stephen Sutton. 1972. QL444.M34S97

Spiders

  • Arachnids. J. Beccaloni.  2009.  QL451.B43 2009
  • Spiders: The Ultimate Predators. Stephen Dalton.  2008.  QL458.4.D344 2008
  • A Guide to Spiders and their Kin.  Herbert W. Levi and Lorna R. Levi.  1968. QL452.L4

Insects

  • The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders. Lorus and Margery Milne. 1980.     QL473.M54 1980  
  • American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico. R. H. Arnett. 2000.  QL474.A76 2000
  • Insects: Their Natural History and Diversity: With a Photographic Guide to Insects of Eastern North America. S. A. Marshall.  2006
  • Field Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids, and Crickets of the United States. Capinera, John L.  QL508.A2C25 2004
  • Dragonflies Through Binoculars : a Field Guide to Dragonflies of North America.  Dunkle, Sidney W.   2000.  QL520.2.U6D87 2000
  • The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies.  Pyle, Robert Michael.   1981. QL548.P94 1981 
  • A Field Guide to Eastern Butterflies.  Opler, Paul A.   c1992. QL551.E16O65 1992 
  • A Field Guide to the Moths of Eastern North America. Charles V. Covell, Jr. 1984. QL551.A75C68 1984
  • A Field Guide to the Beetles of North America : Text and Illustrations.  White, Richard E.  1983. QL581.W47 1983
  • Ants of North America: A Guide to the Genera.  Fisher BL, Cover SP.  2007.  QL568.F7.F48 2007    
  • Urban Ants of North America and Europe : Identification, Biology, and Management. John Klotz [et al.]. 2008.   QL568.F7.U725

Vertebrates

Reptiles and Amphibians

Web Sites

Amphibians and Reptiles.  Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission

Pennsylvania Herp Identification

Books

Call Number QL651

  • A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America. Conant R, Collins JT. Boston: Houghton Mifflin; 1991.  QL651.C65 1991
  • Amphibians and Reptiles of Pennsylvania and the Northeast.  Hulse AC, McCoy CJ, Censky EJ. Ithaca: Comstock Pub. Associates, Cornell University Press; 2001. QL653.P4H86 2001 Life Sciences Library Reference Collection

Birds

Web Sites

All About Birds from Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Books

Call Number QL684

  • Birds of Central Pennsylvania.  Bolgiano N, Grove G, Wood M. 2010. QL684.P4B65 2010 -- Life Sciences Library Reference Collection
  • The Birds of Pennsylvania.  McWilliams GM, Brauning DW. Ithaca, N.Y: Comstock Pub. Associates; 2000.  QL684.P4M36 2000 Life Sciences Library Reference Collection
  • Field Guide to the Birds of North America. 3rd ed.  1999.   QL681.F53
  • Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America.  Roger Tory  Peterson.  2010. QL681.P455 2008
  • The Sibley Guide to Birds. David Allen Sibley. 1st ed. 2000.  QL681.S497 2000
  • The Summer Atlas of North American Birds / Jeff Price, Sam Droege, and Amy Price. 1995.  QL681.P74 1995

Mammals

Web Sites

North American Mammals from the Smithsonian Institution

Mammals of Pennsylvania Online Resource  Carnegie Museum of Natural History.

Books

Call Number QL 703, QL 715

The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mammals.  Whitaker, John O.  1980. QL715.W48  

Wild Mammals of North America:  Biology Management and Conservation.  2nd Ed.  2003.  QL175.W56 2003