Dictionary of Developmental Biology and Embryology 2nd Edition

Book Preface

The motivation for the creation of the second edition of this work was a continued perceived need for such a book. Ten years have elapsed since the publication of the fi rst edition, during which time developmental biology has rapidly progressed, in particular, developing the subdiscipline of evo – devo and giving birth to eco – devo. Unlike The Dictionary of Cell Biology , such a book does not exist for embryology and developmental biology; yet undergraduate students, graduate students, professors, and researchers would find such a book to be most convenient. Undoubtedly, most terms found in this book are accessible on the Internet; however, it is often not convenient to boot up the computer and initiate a search for the term in question. In addition to terminology, this book also presents historical vignettes of some major contributors, classical and modern, to embryology and developmental biology, as well as a number of concepts (as opposed to terminology per se). This second edition will, perhaps, have omissions of some terms that you feel should be included. The author would greatly appreciate it if you would send suggested terms for possible inclusion in subsequent editions of this book to [email protected] .

I wish to acknowledge the contribution to the creation of this book of a sabbatical leave granted to me by Western Connecticut State University, during the Fall of 2006 — it provided the momentum to get the ball rolling. Also, I wish to thank Dr. James Schmotter, president of Western Connecticut State University, for his support in obtaining the sabbatical leave. Additionally, I wish to thank Karen Chambers, Editor, Life Sciences, Wiley – Blackwell Publishing, for her belief in this project from the outset; Anna Ehler, Editorial Assistant, Life Sciences, Wiley – Blackwell Publishing, for her gentle nudging; Stephanie Sakson, Project Manager, Toppan Best – set Premedia Limited, for many helpful suggestions as we approached the completion of this project; and Sheree Van Vreede, who copyedited the manuscript. Finally, I thank the Connecticut State University System for providing an implantation site for the development of this developmental cell biologist.

Frank J. Dye
Western Connecticut State University