Excerpt from Dictionary of Ecology Words are tools of thought. Clarification of the meaning of terms, precision in their use, and uniformity in usage among workers in ecology and related fields are essential in the growth of a science. When a concept or process can be expressed precisely in ordinary language it appears un necessary, and indeed detrimental to the growth of a science, to coin a new term. It is worth while to make ecological literature intelligible to as wide a field of readers as possible. As concepts and techniques become clearer and more precise new terms are often needed, and when a new word is accepted in one branch of science it should be accepted in other branches. Definitions are not immutable. As knowledge increases the meanings of terms change. It is hoped that this volume will aid in the development of an increasingly useful ecologi cal terminology. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.