Please click on the links below to access other useful websites.
Baylor College of Medicine maintains an online register of biology teaching resources at:
http://www.bioedonline.org/
The Biodidac project maintains an extensive list of images on biological topics for download and use in classroom teaching:
http://biodidac.bio.uottawa.ca/
Online Biology Book – A comprehensive set of pages, covering all the main introductory themes of biology. Chapters 20 and 21 are particularly relevant to the study of plant structure. Also provides links to other useful sites. http://gened.emc.maricopa.edu/Bio/BIO181/BIOBK/BioBookTOC.html
The Institute of Biology has many links of interest.
http://www.iob.org/
The BotWeb pages include many images available for educational use.
http://botweb.uwsp.edu/
Teaching exercises on a range of evolutionary and natural history themes can be developed using this virtual tour of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
http://www.mnh.si.edu/museum/VirtualTour/index.html
Concern about the possible consequences of environmental degradation on human welfare led many leading scientists to issue a warning to humanity. Read the warning and the actions that they recommend at:
http://deoxy.org/sciwarn.htm
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
http://www.mnh.si.edu/
Computer software for teaching scientific method is available at:
http://www.symynet.com/educational_software/
An enormous range of resources relevant to teaching cell biology is available at the Cells Alive site:
http://www.cellsalive.com/
Numerous links to resources in teaching genetics are available at:
http://www.kumc.edu/gec/
Consortium for the Barcode of Life, Smithsonian Institution.
http://www.barcoding.si.edu/
Molecular Ecology.
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/servlet/useragent?func=showIssues&code=mec
National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
Natural Resources Centre: DNA Profiling and Forensic Centre, Trent University, Ontario, Canada.
http://www.nrdpfc.ca/
Nature: Omics gateway.
http://www.nature.com/omics/index.html
The Biology Project from University of Arizona has an excellent section on prokaryotes and eukaryotes with useful information on organelles.
http://www.biology.arizona.edu/cell_bio/tutorials/pev/main.html
The On-Line Biology Book by MJ Farabee offers introductions to various topics in biology. In the field of cell biology the topics include cell structure and contents. The material and colour images match this chapter well.
http://gened.emc.maricopa.edu/bio/bio181/BIOBK/BioBookCELL2.html
Structure and Function of Microtubules. Explanation of microtubule-based motility with some helpful images.
http://cellbio.utmb.edu/cellbio/microtub.htm#menu
The Discovery Channel has a puzzlemaking page where you can create crosswords, wordsearches, etc. to help the students learn names, definitions and functions in a fun way.
http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/
This useful site from Melbourne University gives a succinct summary of the structure and activities of cell membranes plus links to other internet sites on the subject.
http://cellbio.utmb.edu/cellbio/membrane.htm
Many links available to topics in cell biology and membrane structure and function.
http://www.ultranet.com/~jkimball/BiologyPages/A/AnimalTissues.html
http://www.botany.uwc.ac.za/sci_ed/pupil/mammalian/index.htm
Plant tissues and cells illustrations:
http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/VL/GG/ecb/plant_cells_and_tissues_part1.php
http://www.accessexcellence.org/RC/VL/GG/ecb/plant_cells_and_tissues_part2.php
McMicken College, Biological Sciences education resources:
http://www.artsci.uc.edu/collegedepts/biology/education_resources/
As with most scientific disciplines, there are many technical terms which can make it difficult to fully understand articles on genetics and evolution. A good, evolving glossary of genetic terms can be found at:
http://www.genome.gov/glossary.cfm
The debate between evolutionary theory and religious creationism dates from before the publication of The Origin of Species, and in recent years has been reignited, especially in the United States. Evolutionists have responded by providing forums where evolutionary ideas are clearly explained and discussed. A good example can be found at the Talk Origins Archive:
http://www.talkorigins.org/
FlyLab and PedigreeLab are virtual ‘labs’ for teaching aspects of inheritance. This material could be used to reinforce basic concepts or, in the case of PedigreeLab, extend more able students. Details can be found at:
http://vcourseware4.calstatela.edu/BLOL/index.html
This site from Harvard University contains many links to web resources covering evolution.
http://mcb.harvard.edu/BioLinks/Evolution.html
The University of California Museum of Paleontology created this site with financial assistance from the National Science Foundation. The numerous links include a Teachers’ section, an outline for undergraduate studies and examples of the relevance of evolution to daily life.
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evosite/evohome.html
The virtual tour of the American Museum of Natural History offers information and exercises relating to cladistics, vertebrate evolution and the history of paleontology.
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/fossilhalls/virtualtours/
A guide to the most significant Australian fossil sites can be found on the website of the Australian Museum:
http://amonline.net.au/fossil_sites/index.htm
At this site students can retrace phylogenies beginning from life’s origins.
http://phylogeny.arizona.edu/tree/phylogeny.html
The Environment Australia website has good reference listings on the evolution of Australian fauna. Go to the EA website and use the search facility. The keyword ‘fossil’ will provide a useful listing of all reference material. Of particular interest is the ‘Australian World Heritage Bibliography’.
http://www.environment.gov.au/
The Tree of Life is a collaborative project, involving biologists from around the world. It provides information on biodiversity and phylogeny.
http://tolweb.org/tree/
The Phylocode is a controversial new system of nomenclature, based on cladistic principles.
http://www.ohio.edu/phylocode/
Much useful information on taxonomy pertaining to Australian organisms is given on the web pages of the Australian Biological Resources Study.
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/
For this chapter, there are excellent presentations downloadable from the National Taxonomy Forum.
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/workshop-forum/ntf.html
The history of smallpox is covered well at:
http://www.smallpoxhistory.ucl.ac.uk/
The latest news about microbiology, with a chance to participate in online discussions, can be found at microbiologybytes:
http://microbiologybytes.wordpress.com/
The Centre for Disease control provides this site with information on emerging diseases. This site provides useful details on prion diseases.
http://www.cdc.gov/
http://www.cyber-dyne.com/~tom/mad_cow_disease.html
The Scientific American site:
http://www.sciam.com/
The North American Mycological Association maintains an extensive site with links to teaching resources in mycology:
http://www.clarku.edu/faculty/dhibbett/TFTOL/links.html
Australian Broadcasting Commission, Quantum website. The science show Quantum presented a documentary ‘The cells from hell’, which discussed outbreaks of the toxic dinoflagellate Pfiesteria around the world. The transcript is available online:
http://www.abc.net.au/quantum/stories/s112832.htm
The Bridge, hosted by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science is a very useful resource on all aspects of ocean sciences, and has many useful links to more specific web pages, as well as links to lesson plans and many other resources.
http://web.vims.edu/bridge/?svr=www
Links to pages about phytoplankton, plankton sampling, and harmful algal blooms
http://web.vims.edu/bridge/plankton.html?svr=www
Guiry, MD. The Seaweed Site. This comprehensive site offers a wide range of information about all aspects of algae, including both introductory material and information for more advanced students and researchers.
http://seaweed.ucg.ie/
The evolutionary history of fungi can be traced on this site from the UC (Berkeley) Museum of Palaeontology.
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/fungi/fungilh.html
Several Australian flora are available online through the Australian Biological Resources Study. The flora includes plants, algae and fungi. In addition, some of the botanic gardens in Australia provide online access to state flora databases. Access to these resources generally require some form of registration, with some services being provided free of charge. An example is:
http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/florabase Florabase (WA Herbarium)
Read more about giant Australian trees and link to sites relevant to other countries at:
http://www.gianttrees.com.au/
Much useful information on taxonomy pertaining to Australian organisms is given on the web pages of the Australian Biological Resources Study
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/
For this chapter, check the online flora at:
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/flora/index.html
The Tree of Life Project is an outstanding source for studying the classification of animals:
http://www.tolweb.org/tree/
The Australian Museum online offers a search facility that can link to a wide range of information and photographs of invertebrates. The site can be useful as a resource for directed student assignments.
http://www.austmus.gov.au/index.cfm
Arthropod structure, evolution and diversity are covered in detail, with an emphasis on illustrating evolutionary principles through arthropods.
http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/arthropodstory
Much useful information on taxonomy pertaining to Australian organisms is given on the web pages of the Australian Biological Resources Study.
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/
For these chapters, check the online fauna records at:
http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/index.html
Many links to topics and exercises in teaching ecology are given in this site from the Ecological Society of America.
http://www.esa.org/
This site provides many excellent links to population ecology on the web. http://www.gypsymoth.ento.vt.edu/~sharov/popechome/welcome.html
Populus. This site provides free software for student projects in population ecology, plus downloadable manuals.
http://www.cbs.umn.edu/populus/
These sites link to numerous resources for teaching oceanography and marine biology.
http://oceanlink.island.net/links/teacherlinks.html
http://www.cln.org/themes/oceanography.html
http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/ocean/
http://www.csun.edu/science/geoscience/oceanography/index.html
The Australian Natural Resources Atlas includes a detailed assessment of coastal resources, especially estuaries.
http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/coasts/estuary/index.html
For more information on environmental parameters that affect water quality, visit ‘Water on the Web’. This is an American site but has some excellent explanations and real lake and stream sampling and data.
http://waterontheweb.org/
The Australian Natural Resources Atlas includes a detailed assessment of water resources, including wetlands and rivers.
http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/water/index.html
Although most of the links on this site have a US emphasis, it is still a useful resource for ideas in teaching wetlands ecology.
http://www.teacherplanet.com/resource/wetlands.php
Here you can download a pdf with further links to resources for teaching wetlands ecology
http://deq.state.ms.us/MDEQ.nsf/pdf/NPS_WatershedLP/$File/WatershedLessonPlans.pdf?OpenElement
Although it has a US emphasis, this site offers comprehensive links to a wide range of biomes.
http://www.acornnaturalists.com/store/Teaching-about-World-Biomes-C368.aspx
Some issues of animal response to environmental stress are covered on the website at Environment Australia. Instructors should consider using these to apply ecophysiology to contemporary environmental issues in Australia, especially concerns of environmental pollutants and their subsequent impact on animal phenotype.
http://www.environment.gov.au/
The Australian Natural Resources Atlas includes a wide range of relevant information on terrestrial environments, including dryland salinity, vegetation patterns and soils. Access these from the link ‘Natural resource topics’ at the left of the screen.
http://www.anra.gov.au/topics/water/index.html
Australian environmental issues are covered exhaustively on the website of Environment Australia. The pop-up menu on the home page can be used to search alphabetically for a wide range of topics. The comprehensive entries under biodiversity are especially useful. The site is useful for collecting background information, or for research work by students.
http://www.environment.gov.au/
This is the home page for CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Students could be directed here to research aspects of CITES.
http://www.cites.org/
This is the home page for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Students could be directed here to research aspects of the IUCN.
http://www.iucn.org/
Much useful information on restoration ecology is available from the Society for Ecological Restoration.
http://www.ser.org/
Global biodiversity hotspots can be explored at:
http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/Pages/default.aspx
The Australian Natural Resources Atlas is a source of a wealth of data on the condition and trends of land, water and biological resources in Australia.
http://www.anra.gov.au/index.html