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ABCs of Nature A Family Answer Book by Reader's Digest 1985 Hardcover Book. Condition is "Very Good".

ABC‘a

Nature

A Family Answe Book

THE READER'S DIGEST ASSOCIATION, INC.. PLEASANTVILLE, NEW YORK. MONTREAL

Editor: Richard L. Scheffel

Art Editor: Gilbert L. Nielsen

Associate Editors: Susan Brackett

W. Clotilde Lanig

Art Production Editor: Dorothy R. Schmidt

Art Associate: Janet G. Tenenzaph

Picture Editor: Robert J, Woodward

Special Typesetting: Grace Del Bagno

Editorial Assistant: Annette Koshut

Contributing Editor: Katharine R. O'Hare

With special contributions by

Senior Staff Editor Susan J. Wernert

Consultants

Durward L. Allen, Professor of Wildlife Ecology

Purdue University

Rhodes W. Fairbridge, Professor of Geological

Sciences, Columbia University

William C. Steere, Professor Emeritus and Senior

Scientist, The New York Botanical Garden

Contributors

Copy Editor: Patricia M. Godfrey

Contributing Writers: Vic Cox, George S. Fichter,

Ruth Kirk, Peter R. Limburg, Edward R. Ricciuti

The credits that appear on pages 318-319 are hereby made a part

of this copyright page.

is prohibited.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data

Main entry under title:

ABC's of nature.

At head of title: Reader's digest.

Summary: Answers questions about the physical world,

its plants and animals, and the adaptations and interactions

of plants and animals in various environments such as

deserts, mountains, and seashores.

1. Natural history-Miscellanea. [1. Natural history-

Miscellanea. 2. Questions and answers] I. Reader's Digest

Association. II. Reader's Digest. III. Title: AB C's of nature.

QH45.5.A23 1984

ISBN 0-89577-169-1

508

83-60796

READER'S DIGEST and the Pegasus colophon are registered trademarks

of The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.

Printed in the United States of America

Third Printing, November 1985

About this book.

ABC's oF NATURE is designed to inform and entertain readers both young

and old with explanations of the mysteries and marvels of the world

all around us, from our planet's position in space to its many forms of life.

The book's question-and-answer format was chosen to provide clear,

concise information on the subjects readers are most likely to ask about,

and to put it in perspective with what they may already know. In addition,

the text frequently expands on related topics to give a more complete

picture of the subject's place and function in the natural world. The

book does not attempt to describe every natural phenomenon or every

kind of living thing; instead, it highlights the most familiar and important

ones-the ones that you as a reader are most likely to wonder about.

Because it covers such a broad range of subject matter, ABC's OF NATURE

is divided into four sections. Part 1, The World Itself, deals with the

physical world, from the earth and its atmosphere to geological processes

and landforms. Part 2, The World of Plants, is about the earth's infinitely

varied mantle of vegetation. Part 3, The Animal World, covers the

characteristics and life-styles of the many kinds of creatures that share our

planet. Part 4, Many Worlds of Life, explores the adaptations and

interactions of plants and animals in various environments such as deserts,

mountains, and seashores.

The four sections are distinguished by color-coded tabs printed at the

upper right-hand edges of the pages. A different color is used for each

of the four parts, and the tabs are visible even when the book is closed so

that you can easily find the part that interests you. In addition, each

part begins with its own detailed table of contents that will lead you to

specific subjects. A comprehensive index pinpoints other references to

particular subjects throughout the book. But we hope you will often find

that the most rewarding way of using ABC's OF NATURE is to open the book

at random, browse, and linger over the questions-and answers-that

arouse your curiosity and satisfy your desire to understand and appreciate

the ever fascinating world of nature.

-The Editors

THE

WORLD

ITSELF

PART ONE

Spinning in space, the earth is a small but

remarkable part of the universe. Storms,

tides, earthquakes, glaciers-these are

some of the physical forces that shape its

landforms and keep its restless surface in

a subtle but persistent state of flux.

PART TWO

THE

WORLD

OF PLANTS

Whether on land or in water, plants seem

to thrive everywhere on earth. Infinitely

varied in form and life-style, many

them have become adapted for surviving

even such extremes as drought and flood,

scorching heat and freezing cold.

2 THE

PART THREE

156

ANIMAL

WORLD

Penguins and polar bears, streamlined sharks

and fragile seashells, leaping frogs and

fluttering butterflies-such is the diversity

of the creatures that make up the animal

kingdom. Beautiful or bizarre, each one is

ideally equipped for its own way of life.

PART FOUR

MANY

258

WORLDS

OF LIFE

From wetlands with their wading birds

to forests filled with trees, the earth

contains all sorts of living spaces. Each

one supports its own distinctive

community of plants and animals; each

is a fascinating world in and of itself.

10 The Earth in Space

40 Glaciers: Rivers of Ice

42 How Glaciers Shape

the Land

12 The Sky Above

14 Our Ocean of Air

44 Earth's Mantle of Soil

16 The Cycle of

Precipitation

46 Our Encircling Sea

48 The Ocean Floor

18 Weather and Climate

20 The Ways of Storms

50 Sandy Seashores

22 Hurricanes and

Tornadoes

24 Earth's Restless Crust

52 Rocky Coastlines

54 Rivers and Streams

56 Canyons: Rivers'

Masterworks

26 Rocks and Minerals

28 Fossils: Clues to

the Past

58 Wondrous Waterfalls

60 Lakes and Ponds

62 Waterlogged

30 Erosion: The Master

Sculptor

32 When the Earth

Quakes

Wetlands

64 Underground Water

66 Caves and Cave

Systems

34 Volcanoes

68 Deserts Around

the World

36 Volcanic Landforms

38 Many Kinds of

Mountains

70 The Polar Regions

74 Many Kinds of Plants

76 Algae Are Simple

Plants

78 Of Molds and

Mushrooms

112 The Surprising

Mobility of Plants

114 In Self-defense

116 Plant Predators

118 Parasites: The

Dependent Ones

120 Competition: The

Endless Struggle

80 Lichens: Two Plants

in One

82 The Diminutive Mosses

84 Club Mosses and

Horsetails

122 Succession: The Ever-

Changing Scene

124 Adaptable Aquatics

86 Fabulous Ferns

88 Some Plants Have Seeds 126 The Ways of Vines

90 Conifers: Trees for

All Seasons

128 Perching Plants

130 Wild, Wonderful Weeds

132 Grasses and Grains

92 The Flowering Plants

94 The Miracle of

Pollination

134 The Daisy Family

136 Remarkable Roses

138 Deadly, Delicious

Nightshades

96 From Flower to Fruit

98 All Sorts of Seeds

140 Lilies of the Field

100 New Plants From Old

102 Broad-leaved Trees

142 Clovers and Kin

144 The Cactus Family

104 Leaves Are Food

Factories

146 Ingenious Orchids

148 Danger: Poison

150 Green Medicine

106 How Trees Grow

108 Curious Trees

110 Roots: The Under-

ground Connection

152 Aromatic Herbs

154 Plants in Our Lives