Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Five-Volume Set [Hardcover]

Simon A Levin (Editor), Simon A. Levin (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0122268652 | ISBN-13: 978-0122268656 | Publication Date: November 8, 2000 | Edition: 1

First used in 1980, "biodiversity" often describes the abundance, variety, and genetic constitution of native animals and plants, and has been linked with politics and environmental technology. Although the 1986 National forum on biodiversity brought issues of biodiversity to the fore, the inescapable need to know more about the diversity of life on Earth continues to remain unmet.
In recent years, biodiversity has influenced important scientific considerations, international agreements, conventions, conservation initiatives, political debates, and socio-economic implications. Knowledge derived from the study of biodiversity will affect the quality of life enjoyed in the future by influencing decision-making processes and aiding new discoveries.
The science of biodiversity has become the science of our future. Our awareness of the loss of biodiversity has brought a long overdue appreciation of the magnitude of our loss and a determination to develop the tools to protect our future. The Encyclopedia of Biodiversity brings together, for the first time, a study of the dimensions of diversity. It examination of the services biodiversity provides, and measures to protect it. Major themes of the work include the evolution of biodiversity, systems for classifying and defining biodiversity, ecological patterns and theories of biodiversity, and an assessment of contemporary patterns and trends in biodiversity.


Key Features

NEW e-updates to this 5-Volume Set on ScienceDirect!

Updates include 21 entirely new articles, 22 updated articles, with 335 articles in total! (more) This reference is also sold as an e-book via ScienceDirect.


* Distinguished Editorial Board headed by Simon A. Levin, with many other prominent scientists serving as editors
* More than 300 separate articles, covering 20 different subject areas, from Evolution to Habitats to Economic Issues--all original contributions commissioned for this work
* Articles by leading authors from major institutions of science around the world
* Approximately 1,000 figures and tables complement the text
* More than 3,000 glossary entries explain key terms

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Edward O. Wilson defines biodiversity as "the totality of the inherited variation of all forms of life across all levels of variation, from ecosystem to species to gene." Written by prominent international authorities, this new encyclopedia contains more than 300 comprehensive articles on all aspects of biodiversity, as well as related topics from general biology. This scholarly resource will be useful to anyone interested in the many facets of biodiversity and global conservation issues.

The well-written, alphabetically arranged articles are classified into 20 broad categories, listed in "Contents by Subject Area." Subjects range from the core disciplines of biodiversity (evolution, species biodiversity, habitats and ecosystems, extinctions) to environmental conditions to human effects and interventions. Articles also address a variety of topics that are important to preserving biodiversity, such as economics, public policies, and ethics. Examples of specific article titles include Biogeochemical cycle; Coevolution; Dinosaurs, extinction theories for; Economic growth and the environment; Endangered mammals; Greenhouse effect; Plant sources of drugs and chemicals; Rainforest ecosystems, animal diversity; and Reforestation.

Articles follow a standard format that includes the author, a topical outline, a glossary, a defining statement, the body of the article, cross-references to related articles, and a bibliography. Approximately 1,000 highly useful black-and-white figures and tables, as well as 16 pages of color illustrations, supplement the text. In addition to a glossary at the beginning of each article explaining key terms related to that article, there is a 90-page glossary with more than 3,000 entries at the end of volume five explaining the terms in more detail.

The subject index to this otherwise outstanding encyclopedia could use some improvement. For example, under the term ethics there are only two page numbers listed (and no cross-references) although there are whole sections related to the ethics of biodiversity in articles such as Environmental ethics, Ethical issues in biodiversity protection, and Religious traditions and biodiversity. Random sampling revealed an incorrect page reference for Boy Scouts of America. Figures and tables are not indexed. There are few cross-references from one broad topic to another in the index; therefore, the user is advised to use references to related articles at the end of each article to find additional information.

This encyclopedia is a worthwhile investment for anyone in need of a scholarly reference source devoted to biodiversity and related preservation issues. There are no other current encyclopedias that provide comparable in-depth coverage of this increasingly important topic. The Encyclopedia of Biodiversity is particularly recommended for special and academic libraries. For a limited period, access to an upcoming online version is included in the purchase of the print set. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"Compiled by a virtual who's who in the field of conservation science, the Encyclopedia of Biodiversity highlights the critical importance of biodiversity and illustrates why all thinking people should care about stemming the loss of our natural heritage."
John Sawhill, President and CEO, The Nature Conservancy

"This encyclopedia is a worthwhile investment for anyone in need of a scholarly reference source devoted to biodiversity and related preservation issues. There are no other current encyclopedias that provide comparable in-depth coverage of this increasingly important topic. The Encyclopedia of Biodiversity is particularly recommended for special and academic libraries. For a limited period, access to an upcoming online version is included in the purchase of the print set.
American Library Association

"Five volumes contain 313 signed articles by leading international authors. From the preface: "The entries...have been arranged alphabetically, but the coverage is designed functionally. At the core is a comprehensive survey of biodiversity, across taxonomic groups and ecological regions. The emergence of biodiversity is then placed in an evolutionary perspective, as background for an understanding of current trends. Finally, a review is given of institutions and other mechanisms that exist and are needed for the preservation of biodiversity...." The "contents by subject" listing groups entries according to theme, among them: agriculture, conservation and restoration, economics, environmental conditions and effects, evolution, extinctions, genetics, geographic and global issues, habitats and ecosystems, human effects and interventions, and population issues. Each entry is carefully constructed, with an outline, a glossary, a summary, cross references, and a bibliography accompanying the main body of text. Purchase of the print version confers access to the complementary web site.
Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

"With an authoritative, wide-ranging and engaging approach to biodiversity an sustainability, the Encyclopedia does and excellent job of synthesising material of many different kinds so as to advance our understanding of ecological systems."
Murray Gell-mann, The Santa Fe Institute, New Mexico, USA

"My participation in the development of this Encyclopedia has been a very encouraging experience, particularly in providing an opportunity to see how broadly interest in biodiversity has spread. The Encyclopedia has deliberately been organised [sic] in a most inclusive way, and this will help people of all backgrounds learn more about their world and the other living things they share it with."
Sir Robert May, Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government

"A scholarly resource for understanding this exceptional and living planet we call home...so solid and authoritative no library should be without."
Thomas E. Lovejoy, Chief Biodiversity Advisor, The World Bank

"The viability of any twenty-first century politics will hinge on its effective grasp of the principles of biodiversity. The Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, a clarification of key concepts in five volumes, will prove to be a terrific source for scholars, activists, and decision makers."
Barry Lopez, Author of Arctic Dreams

"...There are no other current encyclopedias that provide comparable in-depth coverage of this increasingly important topic..."
Booklist

"...This unique set provides an excellent overview of many aspects of this important concept...Impressive in content and organization..."
Choice

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 4666 pages
• Publisher: Academic Press; 1 edition (November 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0122268652
• ISBN-13: 978-0122268656
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 9.6 x 8.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 28 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,500,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Excellent reference source, but..., January 27, 2001

By 

Neal L. Evenhuis "[e-mail]" (Honolulu, Hawaii USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Five-Volume Set (Hardcover)

This encyclopedia is a dream-come-true for students and scientists alike. It is loaded with useful, up-to-date information on a wide range of subjects dealing primarily with biodiversity, but also general biology. Chapters dealing with relevant and topical terms and phrases in biodiversity are authored by internationally renowned experts in those fields. The writing is clear and all entries are suberbly illustrated and fully referenced. It is a pity that this 5-volumed work is priced so high that it will probably not make the bookshelves of many academic and research libraries (who are continually forced to cut back their budgets), let alone those of students or scientists, for whom this should otherwise be an essential reference source. The only other fault I find with it is the color plates to all 5 volumes are placed at the beginning of volume 1, which unfortunately requires a reader of a chapter in, say, volume 5, to also open volume 1 to see the plate(s) being referred to. Normally this would be a minor inconvenience, but the large weight and large format of each of these volumes make such a maneuver one that would require a large coffee table or laboratory bench to be performed correctly.