New edition of the most wide-ranging and comprehensive dictionary in the field, especially useful for biodiversity students. Much revised and expanded, it now includes over 11,000 entries.
Preface: The Dictionary: Appendix 1. Geological time scale; Appendix 2. Terrestrial chronology of the quaternary ice age in the northern hemisphere; Appendix 3. Marine oxygen isotope chronology of the quternary ice age; Appendix 4. Wallace's zoogeographical regions; Appendix 5. Phytogeographical regions; Appendix 6. Terrestrial biomes; Appendix 7. Tectonic plates; Appendix 8. Major oceanic surface currents; Appendix 9. Marine depth zones; Appendix 10. Lacustrine depth zones; Appendix 11. Soil profile and horizon nomenclature; Appendix 12. Zonation of the atmosphere; Appendix 13. Plankton size categories; Appendix 14. Sediment particle size categories; Appendix 15. Taxonomic hierarchy; Appendix 16. SI units; Appendix 17. Temperature conversion chart; Appendix 18. The beaufort wind scale; Appendix 19. Chemical elements; Appendix 20. The electromagnetic spectrum; Appendix 21. Composition of the atmosphere; Appendix 22. Global distribution of water; Appendix 23. The genetic code and amino acids; Appendix 24. Signs and symbols; Appendix 25. Acronyms and abbreviations; Appendix 26. Latin abbreviations; Appendix 27. Greek and Russian alphabets: Roman numerals; Appendix 28. Proof correction marks; Appendix 29. International paper sizes.
"[...] this work would be useful in fields such as soil science, physical anthropology, biogeography, botany, and zoology. Fans of the first edition will love the second; those in need of a first-rate biology dictionary would do well to acquire this one."
– Choice
" [...] if you're looking for a readable reference, useful for academics and non-academics alike, covering not only subtleties of language but a wide range of information relevant to the practising ecologist – you've found it!"
– Canadian Society of Environmental Biologists