Welcome to the amazing world of adaptations, where species including humans develop fascinating new capabilities to ensure a competitive edge in their environment, or in some cases, survival itself. Encyclopedia of Adaptations in the Natural World is a wide-ranging catalog of the most important of those adaptations from photosynthesis to the the peculiar "vampire"-like behavior of the tiny life form called the prion.

The seven chapters in the Encyclopedia cover the key survival challenges all organisms face. Entries within those chapters cover specific...