Search results for ""Author Michael Allaby""

This is the fourth edition of the most comprehensive and authoritative dictionary of ecology available. Written in a clear, accessible style, it contains over 6,000 entries on all aspects of ecology and related environmental scientific disciplines such as biogeography, genetics, soil science, geomorphology, atmospheric science, and oceanography. Coverage is wide-ranging and includes plant and animal physiology, animal behaviour, pollution, conservation, habitat management, population, evolution, environmental pollution, climatology and meteorology. It also includes many line drawings and useful appendices including estimations of population parameters, the geologic time-scale, SI units, and - new to this edition - a web linked appendix of relevant organizations including both governmental agencies and conservation societies. Fully revised, updated, and expanded, with over 100 new entries, this new edition also contains new web links for dozens of entries - which are accessed and kept up to date via the Dictionary of Ecology companion website. The dictionary will be invaluable to students of ecology, biology, conservation studies, environmental sciences, and professionals in related areas, as well as the general reader with an interest in the natural world.

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Get ready for the shocking truth about botanical sex. Who knew that bee orchids trick insects into having sex with them, avocado flowers are female one day and male the next, and some flowers are the insect equivalent of nightclubs where males and females meet and mate? Bestselling popular science author Mike Allaby reveals over 200 of nature’s most unseemly creations in this sensational exposé. The sexual antics of plants are far more varied than those of people and plants have preferences and techniques for which we have no equivalent. Being rooted to the spot, many rely on pollinators for assistance and forget birds and bees, we’re talking kangaroos, giraffes, and vampire bats. Botanical illustrations throw light on the gallery of pimps, hookers and gigolos who may be lurking in your back garden and spice up this compendium of scurrilous botany which – be warned – may shock the worldliest of gardeners.

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This new edition includes 10,000 entries which cover all areas of geoscience, including planetary science, oceanography, palaeontology, mineralogy and volcanology. In this edition, 675 new entries have been added, and include expanded coverage of planetary geology and earth-observing-satellites. Other new entries terms such as Ianammox, Boomerangian, earth rheological layering, and metamorphic rock classification. The entries are also complemented by more than 130 diagrams and numerous web links that are listed on a regularly updated dedicated companion website. Appendices supplement the A-Z and have been extended to include three new tables on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, Avalanche Classes, and the Volcanic Explosivity Index. The list of satellite missions has also been revised and updated to include recent developments. A Dictionary of Geology and Earth Sciences is an authoritative, and jargon-free resource for students of geology, geography, geosciences, physical science, and those in related disciplines.

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With over 6,000 entries, A Dictionary of Zoology is a detailed and authoritative guide to all areas of the field. It offers full taxonomic coverage of arthropods, other invertebrates, fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals. It also includes terms from the areas of ecology, animal behaviour, evolution, earth history, zoogeography, genetics, and physiology. All entries have been fully revised and updated, making this the most up-to-date reference guide of its kind. There are around 400 entries new to this edition covering areas that include taxonomic groups, prefixes, and widely used descriptive terms. These include articles on micronucleus, stoma, platy-, proto-, and terrestrial. The dictionary is enriched through its useful web links, accessible via the companion website, as well as diagrams and detailed appendices. This fifth edition also includes a new Common Names appendix and three new illustrations.

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This new fourth edition has been completely revised and updated, covering all aspects in the field of plant sciences including biochemistry, plant physiology, cytology, ecology, genetics, evolution, biogeography, earth history, and earth sciences. Over 500 new entries, including Rosales, physical dormancy, menthol, and codeine, enhance the dictionary's coverage of botanical terms, key drugs and medicines derived from plants, and plant orders, families, and genera. It also explains many ecological terms, and expands beyond plants to describe fungi and bacteria and how they affect plants. Numerous appendices include Plant Classification and SI Units, with new timelines showing important moments in plant evolution. For ease of use, vernacular plant names have been transferred to an appendix, fully cross-referenced to the A to Z entries. The dictionary's dedicated companion website points to recommended web links and additional resources. The most up-to-date dictionary available on its subject, this is an essential resource for students of plant sciences and amateur botanists, as well as an entertaining and valuable guide for the plant enthusiast.

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Thoroughly revised and updated to include the latest research in the field, A Dictionary of Environment and Conservation provides over 9,000 A to Z entries on scientific and social aspects of the environment--its key thinkers, treaties, movements, organizations, concepts, and theories. Covering subjects such as sustainable development, biodiversity, and environmental ethics, it is at the cutting edge of environmental and conservation studies. This is the ideal reference for students studying these subjects and anyone with an interest in environment and conservation.

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