Introduction 2
What is Marine Biology? Marine biology is the scientific study of
organisms in the marine environment What does the marine environment
encompass? The different disciplines of science
covered in marine biology Marine biology is a combination of
functional biology and ecology
Introduction 3
Why should we study the marine habitat?
Marine life provides different resources
Problems created by the marine environment and marine animals
Widely used for recreation and essential in many coastal economies
Introduction 4
The History of Marine Biology
Man has been attracted to the ocean since the Stone Age Aristotle lived in the 4th century B.C. (first marine
biologist)
During the 9th and 10th century Vikings (Leif Eriksson) explored much of the North Atlantic As seamanship and navigation skills improved so did our knowledge of the environment
Introduction 5
James Cook James Cook was one of the first
captains to make scientific observations
Carried an accurate chronometer and full-time naturalist
In 3 voyages he explored all of the worlds oceans
Killed in 1779 in Kealakekua Bay by native Hawaiians
Through his example in the 19th century most ships carried naturalists
James Cook
Introduction 7
Marine Biology History In 1831 the H.M.S.
Beagle sailed around the world for 5 years carrying Charles Darwin
What are Darwin’s notable contributions to science and marine biology?
Charles Darwin
Introduction 9
Edward Forbes One of the first true marine biologists Naturalist on the Beacon and sampled
the bottom using a dredge Discovered that animal density decreased
with depth and that species diversity changes with depth
Up to this point it was believed that no life existed in the oceans depths
Introduction 10
The British are Coming!! In 1872 the British
government funded the first major oceanographic expedition.
A light warship, the Challenger was used It took 19 years and 50
volumes to publish all the results
4,700 new species were discovered
New standards were set in studying the ocean. Challenger
Introduction 12
Marine Laboratories Marine labs were created at the
shore to tackle long term studies of the marine habitat
The first major American lab was the Woods Hole lab in Massachusetts
http://www.whoi.edu/home/ Another important lab was created in
Pacific Grove, California. The Scripps Institute
http://www-sio.ucsd.edu/
These and many other marine labs are crucial in the growth of marine biology today Woods Hole Institute
Introduction 13
Marine Biology Today The description of animals and
the general picture of marine biology is now well understood
Marine biologist are concerned with why patterns exist and how animals live
With advances in technologies new areas are now available to explore
Submersibles (Alvin) and ROV’s are used to explore the deep sea and hydrothermal ventsAlvin
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