With clear, concise definitions of over 11,000 terms, this dictionary is the ideal reference for specialists and nonspecialists alike: students, teachers, scientists, amateur naturalists, and anyone interested in our natural environment. A new compilation that reflects the growing and changing vocabulary of science, the dictionary draws entries from many scientific disciplines, as well as from taxonomy. It includes terms from ecology, statistics, earth sciences, genetics, biochemistry, and physiology that readers are likely to encounter in literature dealing with plant and animal growth, structure, or behavior. At the same time, the dictionary will serve those in other disciplines who encounter unfamiliar taxonomic terms in their reading and research. Written by an international team of twenty specialists, and with the aid of a distinguished advisory board, the dictionary provides world-wide coverage. Line drawings are included to clarify meanings where needed, and cross-references refer readers from particular species to entries on families and major genera. The only one-volume work to provide extensive coverage of all aspects of natural history, this is an essential new reference source. "I know of no equivalent compilation with coverage ranging through bacteria to fungi, plants and animals, and both the choice of taxa and the comments in each entry seem appropriate....It contains a wealth of useful taxonomic, geological (in a broad sense) and atmospheric information." -- Nature "This dictionary will clearly help us to better understand our natural world, and will make it possible for us to communicate that understanding to others....Every public, college, and university library will want to acquire this important work." -- Choice "A useful book for both amateur and professional students of natural history." The Quarterly Review of Biology "Will be useful in public, high school, and college libraries for the educated layperson needing definitions when identifying plants and animals and for brief descriptions of scientific names." -- Reference Books Bulletin (Oct. 1986) "Entomologists may be pleasantly surprised by the detail in which the most diverse class of organisms is represented. Many of the smaller families are described thoroughly, especially if the group is showy or associated with human activities. . . .Whatever the particular motivation for using this reference, it is a useful addition to every field biologist's library." -- Bulletin of the Entomological Society of America "Exemplary. . . .Amateurs and students. . .should find this book invaluable. . . .A surprisingly nice work that should have considerable appeal and utility." -- Taxon