This site offers a large selection of pictures of Natural History objects, mostly British in origin. The images are presented to illustrate biodiversity and as an aid to identification. While pictures alone are generally NOT sufficient for identification, by showing different stages, states and views of the organisms more information can be offered than is available in field-guides. How to find your way around: BioImages is arranged in the normal biological classification (or at least my interpretation of it.) This is a hierarchical system with species grouped in genera, genera in families, families in orders and so on up to kingdoms and superkingdoms. 'Living Things' takes you to the top of the classification tree. If you just want to browse, Shortcuts takes you to a list of links to groups of organisms. You can then go directly to the group your are interested in. Then follow the links down to the species you want to see. On the left of each page in the classification hierarchy is a column of links to take you back up the hierarchy. Using these and the subtaxon links in the body of the page you can navigate sideways. This is a large site containing (Mar 06) 53,000 images depicting 4,600 species. The images include habitat shots, close-ups, macro shots and microscopy. Enjoy! ... [Information of the supplier]
This data-set contains information on literature between 1958 and 1998, including all the references published in the BSBI's Abstracts fromLiterature and BSBI Abstracts, with many additional items. It is cross-referenced far more extensively than in the published versions. Searches can be made according to taxon (down to accepted names of genera), geography (down to vice-county), authors, people other than authors and date of publication. Lists can also be provided on the history of botany and on herbaria. ... [Information of the supplier]
The Ecological Database of the British Isles has been constructed from a wide variety of sources by Dr Helen Peat and Professor Alastair Fitter at the University of York, with financial support from the British Ecological Society and the Natural Environment Research Council. It consists of data on over 1770 species of higher plants that occur in the British Isles, together with the bibliography of sources. This version has been realised by Dr Henry Ford. The data comprises information on taxonomy (family, genus, specific name, authority, and vernacular name, together with a synonomy), a suite of over 130 ecological and morphological characteristics, vice-county distribution in Britain, European distribution by country, mycorrhizal associations and fungal diseases. The data are obtained from the literature and therefore coverage varies greatly between species. Some data sets are incomplete at this stage. ... [Information of the supplier]
Selection of morphological traits from pull down-menus allows the identification of Great Britain's about 60 fern species. Most of the species occur in Central Europe as well. [Editorial staff vifabio]
The database deals with the flora of the British Isles, comprising Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales), Ireland (Northern Ireland and Eire), the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. In total 3525 species, subspecies and varieties placed in 166 families are included. All vascular plants (pteridophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms) are included, as is traditional in British Floras. The descriptions of all the taxa can be found in the Description field of the Species module. They are brief diagnoses providing what I consider to be the most important characters, and they have been made as consistent and comparable as possible. We are very proud and grateful to have received the cooperation from more than 100 photographers, professional and amateur, who kindly provided us with their slides to illustrate the taxa. ... [Information of the supplier, modified]
The Irish Natural History Literature web site provides a way of accessing references to literature covering all aspects of natural history in Ireland. They include papers and articles published in journals, books and magazines, and unpublished reports and theses. Topics relate to the natural environment of Ireland. They include botany (e.g. rare species, plant communities), zoology (e.g. invertebrates, fish, mammals, birds), geology (e.g. hard rock, quaternary, palaeontology) together with obituaries, book reviews, and the business of many of the former and current Field Clubs and Natural History Societies of Ireland. Each reference includes author, date of publication, title, journal and volume (if appropriate), page details and keywords. ... [Information of the supplier]
The central aim of Plant Cultures is to convey the richness and complexity of links between Britain and South Asia, through the story of plants and people. It is aimed at anyone interested in understanding the world around them. Britain and the Indian subcontinent have had an immense impact on each other, from the early traders and travellers of the 17th century, to the East India Company and British Empire, and then to independence and population movements in the 20th century. Much of this story is intimately bound up with plants, whether as trade commodities, food, or as subjects for artistic and religious expression. It’s a relationship that continues to be important today. Asian food, medicine, religion, music and film have all had a big impact on Britain’s cultural landscape. The Plant Cultures project covers both the historical and contemporary aspects of Britain and South Asia. Some topics will be familiar – the British Empire, Asian cooking and mehndi (henna painting). Some will be less familiar to many – the ancient traditions of South Asian art and medicine, or the role of sacred plants such as holy basil. The Plant Cultures website brings together a wide range of resources: historic images from museums and libraries, well researched information, contributions from members of the public, and carefully chosen links to other web resources. ... [Information of the supplier]
The LEDA Traitbase provides information on plant traits that describe three key features of plant dynamics: persistence, regeneration and dispersal. The following traits are currently accessible via the query application: Canopy height, Leaf distribution, Leaf dry matter content, Leaf mass, Leaf size, Specific leaf area, Seed mass, Shoot growth form, Woodiness. You need to register in order to use the LEDA Traitbase. ... [Information of the supplier]
This database of alien plants in Ireland contains detailed information on 716 alien plant taxa currently occurring in (semi-) natural habitats in Ireland (both the Republic and Northern Ireland). In a separate list, limited information is also given for 198 taxa with no post-1970 records. You can search by: (1) selecting one of the alien taxa, (2) creating a reduced species list by searching on family, invasive status, Irish vice-counties, and invasiveness elsewhere. As a result, you will get data on species identity, invasiveness and a series of biological and ecological species traits. ... [Information of the supplier]
The Flora of Northern Ireland web site provides a way of accessing plant species distribution data for Northern Ireland on a 10km x 10km grid square basis. Also included are images and descriptions of many of the c.1,100 species represented, but we are still lacking images for some species. The plant distribution records are held electronically in the Vascular Plant Database for Northern Ireland (VPDNI) which forms part of the database at the Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR), Ulster Museum. ... [Information of the supplier]