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.