Sciences & Engineering — Biological & Agricultural Sciences
Plant Sciences

Librarian Subject Specialist

Laura Soito
lsoito@lib.ucdavis.edu — (530) 752‑2904 — Biological/Agricultural Sciences Reference Department (http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/dept/bioag/)
Librarian Subject Specialist for: Forestry; Plant sciences (including fruit and vegetable crops, agronomy, and horticulture); Plant Biology; and Plant Pathology
Make an Office Hours Appointment
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General Databases

BIOSIS Previews [via Web of Knowledge] (http://isiknowledge.com/BIOSIS) [Restricted] VPN

NEW interface loaded July 17, 2011 -- result retrievals will be larger due to search design changes.

More than 22 million records in all life science areas, including agriculture, biochemistry, biomedicine, biotechnology, ecology, environmental sciences, genetics, microbiology, plant biology, veterinary medicine & pharmacology, and zoology. Indexes over 6000 journals, serials, books and book chapters, conference proceedings and patents.

Coverage: 1926-present
Related:
CAB Abstracts [via OvidSP] (http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&MODE=ovid&NEWS=N&PAGE=main&D=cabz) [Restricted] VPN

NOTE: default UCD Search Type set to Advanced Ovid Search. Citations and abstracts to the international agricultural literature, including veterinary medicine, human and animal nutrition, forestry, rural development, as well as other related topics such as tourism and human ecology. Covers over 11,000 journals & conference proceedings and selected books in agriculture. Produced by CAB (Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux) International (CABI) with more than 9.0 million records as of 10/27/10.

HISTORICAL SCOPE: Archive abstracts added in August 2005 go back to 1910 with 1,860,000 additional records.

CAB DATABASE PDFs: As of January 2009, hard-to-find literature may be available as CAB Database PDFs (so noted *below* the UC-eLinks button). Currently, ONLY Internet Explorer (PC platform) or Safari (Mac platform) loads these PDFs. These CABI Full Text items give users automatic access to over 187,000 (as of March 2013) journal articles, conference papers and reports - 80% of which are not available electronically anywhere else.

Coverage: 1910-present [Archives added for 1910-1971]
Related:
  • Fact Sheet [CABI] (http://www.cabi.org/default.aspx?site=170&page=1016&pid=125)
    Describes content of CAB Abstracts database and provides tabs to coverage and serials cited.
  • Database Guide (http://www.ovid.com/site/products/ovidguide/cabadb.htm)
    Database guide to all features of the CAB Abstracts database
  • Saved Searches/Alerts/Automatic Updating Service (http://www.ovid.com/site/help/documentation/ospa/en/my_alerts.htm)
  • BioAg Librarians (http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/dept/bioag/about/meet-staff.php)
    For assistance with searching CAB Abstracts, e-mail bioagquestions@lib.ucdavis.edu or contact your BioAg librarian subject specialist
  • Veterinary medicine / health-related questions (http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/dept/hsl/)
    Carlson Health Sciences Library (530)752-7042, hslref@lib.ucdavis.edu
Agricola [via OvidSP] (http://ovidsp.ovid.com/ovidweb.cgi?T=JS&MODE=ovid&NEWS=N&PAGE=main&D=agra) [Restricted] VPN

NOTE: default UCD Search Type set to Advanced Ovid Search. Published by the National Agricultural Library, the Agricola database describes publications and resources encompassing all aspects of agriculture and allied disciplines including: animal science; veterinary science; entomology; plant science; forestry; aquaculture and fisheries; farming, farming systems and crops; agricultural economics; extension and education; food and human nutrition; and earth sciences and environmental sciences. The Bibliography of Agriculture is the print index to the agricultural literature going back to 1942 located on the Shields Library, Third Floor, at call number Z 5071 .U63

IMPORTANT: The largest and most comprehensive agricultural literature database is CAB Abstracts.

Coverage: 1970-present
Related:
Science Citation Index Expanded [via Web of Knowledge] (http://isiknowledge.com/wos) [Restricted] VPN

NEW interface loaded July 17, 2011 -- result retrievals will be larger due to search design changes.

Multidisciplinary database, with searchable author abstracts, covering the journal literature of the sciences. It indexes more than 6,650 major journals across 150 scientific disciplines. Search for articles that cite a known author or work.

Coverage: 1900-present
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F1000Prime (http://f1000.com/prime) [Restricted] VPN
Author: Faculty of 1000

Faculty of 1000 (F1000) Biology & Medicine are merged into one and now called F1000Prime. Includes over 40 Faculties (Broad subject areas such as biochemistry, ecology or plant biology), which are further subdivided into over 300 Sections. On average, 1,500 new evaluations are published each month. Faculty members are more than 5,000 experts worldwide, assisted by 5,000 associates.

F1000Prime is a "literature awareness tool that is updated continuously and comprehensively and systematically highlights and reviews the most interesting papers published in the biological and medical sciences, based on the recommendations of a faculty of leading researchers. Through immediate rating of individual papers by the authors' peers, F1000 [Prime] highlights papers on the basis of their scientific merit rather than that of the journal in which they appear."

Related:

Subject Specific Databases

Current Research Information System (CRIS) (http://cris.csrees.usda.gov/Welcome.html)
CRIS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) documentation and reporting system for ongoing and recently completed research and education projects in agriculture, food and nutrition, and forestry.
FS Info: USDA Forest Service Database (http://usfs.vtls.com/cgi-bin/usfs/chameleon)

FS Info is the online catalog for the Forest Service Library Network. In addition to books and journal articles in the area of forestry , it contains records and selected full-text links to Forest Service Research publications dating back to 1904. Call numbers which appear in this database are those of the Forest Service libraries

The UC Davis Library collection of forest research publications is extensive. Use the Harvest Catalog to locate Davis call numbers. The Bio/Ag and Map Services reference desk will assist you.

Full-Text Resources

CAB eBooks [via CAB Direct] (http://www.cabi.org/cabebooks/) [Restricted] VPN

CABI ebooks now provides access to over 532 agricultural titles (more than 9,000 individual chapters). The archives from 2000-2007 includes 400+ titles (with over 6,000 individual chapters).

This collection is divided into six core subject collections: Agriculture; Animal and Veterinary Sciences; Human, Food and Nutrition Sciences; Plant Sciences; Environmental Sciences; and Leisure and Tourism.

PLEASE NOTE: This collection does *not* include ALL books published by CABI but selected titles. In particular, the publisher has chosen *not* to include textbooks in this package.

Coverage: 2000-present
Related:
ENVIROnetBASE [via CRCnetBASE] (http://www.crcnetbase.com/search/advanced) [Restricted] VPN
PLEASE NOTE: Access is via combined ENTIRE CRC e-book collection. From Advanced search, scroll down to check off "Environmental Science" category for focused searches. This full-text ENVIROnetBASE collection includes over 600 environmental sciences handbooks and includes indexing of chapters and their figures, charts, tables, illustrations, formulas and rules of thumb. Environmental sciences areas covered include environmental engineering and biotechnology, agricultural and natural resources, ecology, pollution and more.
Related:
  • Access Issues (http://blogs.lib.ucdavis.edu/pse/2009/05/08/accessing-online-crc-books-through-the-vpn/)
Springer eBooks Package (http://springerlink.com/books/) [Restricted] VPN
This UC-wide pilot is now (2013) a three-year package for Springer eBooks and includes more than 55,000 titles in English (and selectively in German) from every scientific discipline and many social sciences. This online interface enables all books to be searchable at the full-text level. Scope (textbook areas are starred) ranges from Architecture and Design, *Behavioral Science, *Biomedical and Life Sciences, *Business and Economics, *Chemistry and Materials Science, *Computer Science, *Earth and Environmental Science, *Engineering, *Humanities & Social Sciences and Law, *Mathematics and Statistics, *Medicine, *Physics and Astronomy, to Professional and Applied Computing. NEW books are added monthly. NEW INTERFACE as of November 26, 2012.
Coverage: 2005-2013
Related:
Treesearch (http://treesearch.fs.fed.us/)
Treesearch is an online system for locating and delivering publications by Research and Development scientists in the US Forest Service. Publications in the collection include research monographs published by the agency as well as papers written by Forest Service scientists but published by other organizations in their journals, conference proceedings, or books. Research results behind these publications have been peer reviewed to ensure the best quality science. As of 02/2009 Treesearch contains 26,922 publications.
Biodiversity Heritage Library (http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/)
The Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is a consortium of 12 natural history and botanical libraries that cooperate to digitize and make accessible the legacy literature of biodiversity held in their collections and to make that literature available for open access and responsible use as a part of a global “biodiversity commons.” BHL also serves as the foundational literature component of the Encyclopedia of Life (EOL).
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Springer Protocols (http://www.springerprotocols.com/) [Restricted] VPN
Springer Protocols contains more than 31,000 (as of March 2013) molecular biology and biomedical peer-reviewed protocols, mostly from the classic series Methods in Molecular Biology, formerly published by Humana Press. Other series included are: Methods in Molecular Medicine; Methods in Biotechnology; Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology; and Neuromethods. Also included are protocols from laboratory handbooks, such as The Biomethods Handbook, The Proteomics Handbook, and the Springer Laboratory Manuals.
Coverage: 1980-present
Related:
  • Ten-page User Guide (http://www.springer.com/cda/content/document/cda_downloaddocument/SpringerProtocolsUserGuide.pdf?SGWID=0-0-45-517798-0)
Current Protocols Series (http://www.currentprotocols.com/) [Restricted] VPN
Ten major laboratory methods and protocols series covering the areas of molecular biology, nucleic acid chemistry, cell biology, protein science, immunology, neuroscience, human genetics, pharmacology, toxicology, and cytometry. Includes basic, alternate, and support protocols with literature cited and information on suppliers for standard materials and preparation information for reagents and solutions. IMPORTANT NOTE: UC Davis does *NOT* license the following seven protocol titles: "Bioinformatics", "Chemical Biology", "Essential Laboratory Techniques", "Food Analytical Chemistry" (inactive series), "Magnetic Resonance Imaging", "Microbiology", and "Stem Cell Biology".
Coverage: Updated quarterly or more frequently
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Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (http://cshprotocols.cshlp.org/search.dtl) [Restricted] VPN

A definitive, interactive source of new and classic research techniques. The database covers specific sections on: Antibodies, Bioinformatics/Genomics, Cell Biology, Chromatography, Computational Biology, DNA Delivery/Gene Transfer, Electrophoresis, Genetics, High-Throughput Analysis, Imaging/Microscopy, Immunology, Laboratory Organisms, Molecular Biology, Neuroscience, Plant Biology, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Proteins and Proteomics, RNA Interference (RNAi)/siRNA, Stem Cells, and Transgenic Technology. Unique to this resource is the ability to submit a protocol. Other unique features include protocol recipes and protocol cautions.

Coverage: 2006-present
Related:
  • Search Help (http://www.cshprotocols.org/help/search_help.dtl)
Methods in Enzymology (http://uclibs.org/PID/61958) [Restricted] VPN
Methods in Enzymology is the classic laboratory methods/protocols book series. The complete backfile of the full-text is available back to volume 1 from 1955. Direct article/chapter links are provided from core subject databases such as PubMed and BIOSIS Previews. Contains detailed protocols and descriptions of biochemical and biophysical techniques for research in biological and molecular sciences. More than 300 volumes are browse-able by individual volumes online from 1955 to the present or by searching across the collection by title, author, abstract, and keyword. Full-text access to articles is available in HTML and PDF formats.
Coverage: 1955-
Journal Citation Reports (JCR) (http://uclibs.org/PID/36787) [Restricted] VPN

Journal Citation Reports is an annual publication by Thomson Reuters with each yearly data analysis being completed in the following year. The most recent edition is always published in the summer following the year analyzed. Journal Citation Reports can show you the most frequently cited journals in a field, the highest impact journals in a field, and the largest journals in a field. JCR Science Edition contains data from over 7,300 journals in science and technology. JCR Social Sciences Edition contains data from over 2,200 journals in the social sciences. NOTE: For disciplines that have longer timespans for citation, consider sorting for ranking by using the newer 5-year Impact Factor.

Coverage: 2007-2011
Date: 2011
Related:
Safari Tech Books Online (http://uclibs.org/PID/33109) [Restricted] VPN
A collection of computing books that includes the full text of over 1700 O'Reilly Press books, dating from 1999 to the present. Safari will grow to include all new O'Reilly titles. The full-text is searchable across titles and searches can be limited to code fragments. Books can also be browsed by topic. Access is limited to 41 simultaneous UC connections.
Coverage: 1999-present
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Handbooks & Tables

CalFlora (http://www.calflora.org/species/index.html)
CalFlora is a comprehensive publicly-available database of plant or flora distribution information for California. Includes over 7,975 botanical species reports searchable by county, elevation, native or non-native, lifeform, or plant community. Re-released with design and funding changes 9/4/03
Related:
Jepson Manual II: Vascular Plants of California (http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/jepsonmanual/review/)

This is an publically-accessible index to taxonomic treatments for the new Jepson Manual. The treatments parallel those that will appear in the book, expected in print toward the end of 2011. Links for families under Lycophytes, Ferns, Gymnosperms, Nymphaeales, Magnoliids, Ceratophyllum, Eudicots, and Monocots are included.

The Jepson Manual "represents the most comprehensive identification guide to nearly eight thousand taxa of native and naturalized California plants. The means to identify plants (using key traits and illustrations) is accompanied by special information such as horticultural requirements, endangerment, toxicity, weed status, and notes on the management of sensitive species. Identification keys are designed for ease of use, and terms are simplified and illustrated, making The Jepson Manual the most authoritative field guide for the expert and amateur alike." From UCB Jepson Manual webpage.

Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

Silvics of North America (http://www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/silvics_manual/table_of_contents.htm)
Author: United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service

The silvical characteristics of about 200 forest tree species and varieties are described. Most are native to the 50 United States and Puerto Rico, but a few are introduced and naturalized. Information on habitat, life history, and genetics is given for 15 genera, 63 species, and 20 varieties of conifers and for 58 genera, 128 species, and 6 varieties of hardwoods. These represent most of the commercially important trees of the United States and Canada and some of those from Mexico and the Caribbean Islands, making this a reference for virtually all of North America. A special feature of this edition is the inclusion of 19 tropical and subtropical species. These additions are native and introduced trees of the southern border of the United States from Florida to Texas and California, and also from Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

In addition to Online access, a copy of "Silvics of North America" is in Shields Library General Stacks at S21 .A37 no.654.

Date: 1990
U*X*L Encyclopedia of Biomes (http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE|9781414444260&v=2.1&u=ucdavis&it=aboutBook&p=GVRL&sw=w&cs=9781414444260&authCount=1) [Restricted] VPN
Author: Marlene Weigel
Online version of this 3-volume encyclopedia provides "detailed comparative essays on major biomes and their component ecosystems. Includes entries on land biomes and water biomes and covers climate, elevation, soil, water bodies, vegetation, animal life, food web, plant and animal adaptations, endangered species, human effects on the biome and the effects of the environment on humans' culture and economy."
Date: 2008
Dictionary of Scientific Biography (complete) [via Gale Virtual Reference Library] (http://find.galegroup.com/gvrl/infomark.do?type=aboutBook&prodId=GVRL&eisbn=9780684315591&version=1.0) [Restricted] VPN
This classic encyclopedia covering scientists from all time periods and all fields of science has been completely revised. This "complete" online version includes all the entries from both the new (2008) edition and the original edition.

Portals

PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov/)
Author: USDA
From the About PLANTS: "The PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories. It includes names, plant symbols, checklists, distributional data, species abstracts, characteristics, images, crop information, automated tools, onward Web links, and references."
Related:

Images

Fritz-Metcalf Photograph Collection (http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/BIOS/fmpc/)
Keyword-searchable database of digitized photos made accessible by the Marian Koshland Biosciences & Natural Resources Library of UCB. From the website: " The Fritz-Metcalf Photograph Collection is a group of about 9000 photographs relating primarily to forestry, conservation, and the lumber industry in California and the United States. Subjects include logging operations, logging equipment, reforestation, forest research, fire protection, lumber mills, and the activities of the University of California's School of Forestry. The photographs were taken from 1906 to 1984 by Emanuel Fritz, Woodbridge Metcalf and others." A test review brings up only black and white photos.
Coverage: 1906-1984