Marine biology is the scientific study of organisms in the
ocean or other marine or brackish bodies of water. Given that in biology many
phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others
that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment
rather than on taxonomy. Marine biology differs from marine ecology as marine
ecology is focused on how organisms interact with each other and the
environment, and biology is the study of the organisms themselves.
Marine life is a vast resource, providing food, medicine,
and raw materials, in addition to helping to support recreation and tourism all
over the world. At a fundamental level, marine life helps determine the very
nature of our planet. Marine organisms contribute significantly to the oxygen
cycle, and are involved in the regulation of the Earth's climate. Shorelines
are in part shaped and protected by marine life, and some marine organisms even
help create new land.
Marine biology covers a great deal, from the microscopic,
including most zooplankton and phytoplankton to the huge cetaceans (whales)
which reach up to a reported 30 meters (98 feet) in length.
The habitats studied by marine biology include everything
from the tiny layers of surface water in which organisms and abiotic items may
be trapped in surface tension between the ocean and atmosphere, to the depths
of the oceanic trenches, sometimes 10,000 meters or more beneath the surface of
the ocean. It studies habitats such as coral reefs, kelp forests, tidepools,
muddy, sandy and rocky bottoms, and the open ocean (pelagic) zone, where solid
objects are rare and the surface of the water is the only visible boundary.
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