Marine Biology
When you think of a marine biologist, what do you see? You might picture a dolphin trainer, or maybe you see a man swimming with whales and sharks deep in the middle of the ocean. The field of marine biology is the study of aquatic organisms, their behaviors, and their interactions with the environment. It is considered the most unknown and exciting fields of oceanography.
The Phoenicians and the Greeks are responsible for the earliest known studies of marine biology. However, specific references to marine life were never recorded until the writings of Aristotle (384-322 BC). He discovered various types of crustaceans and fish: he is known for being the father of marine biology. The study of marine biology advanced with the
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At the most fundamental level, they need to study the behaviors, genetics, diseases, and the life cycles for the life forms that dwell in marine environments. Marine biologists are considered experts in aquatics and more specifically, experts on the plants and animals that live in the ocean. They may conduct experiments as scientists in a laboratory or in the field, for academic purposes or for research that could be beneficially to the human and animal community. Marine biologists also could work on rescue missions to help support animals in the sea who are in trouble or …show more content…
Since it is estimated that only 5% of the oceans have been explored, more biologists will be needed to study the ocean and the unknown species that live within it. However, because most funding comes from governmental agencies, the demand for marine biologists will be limited by the budget given by those agencies.
Without a detailed understanding of the effects of pollution, coastal development, overfishing, and the sustainability of ocean oxygen production, there is a strong possibility of the environment and the health of humans to suffer great risks. As the human population grows, it will expose wildlife and marine life to lethal threats such as habitat loss and disease. Marine biologists and their research will be needed so potential problems can be solved now, instead of when it’s too
An English naturalist Charles Darwin (1802-1882) developed a theory of biological evolution. He studied variation in plants and animals during his five years’ voyage around the world in the 19th century. Darwin studied hundreds of species, which he researches variations between locations. His theory states that all species of organism arise and develop through natural selection. Natural selection is the process of organisms that adapt to their surrounding environment, which tend to survive and produce more offspring. Killer whales are remarked to have evolutionary links from land dwelling organisms, millions of years ago. This paper will display the evolution and natural selection of the killer whale.
Rachel Carson worked at the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) as a marine biologist. While at the FWS, Carson produced three books on the ocean’s ecosy...
Scott Doney, in 2007 mentioned that ocean life was facing an almost unprecedented environmental challenge. He stated that marine life has endured large climatic changes and acidification discrepancies in the past but the anticipated rates of climate change and ocean acidification over the next century are much rapid than experienced by the planet earlier.
While both fields carry importance within the science community, I feel that both should be given equal opportunities to be explored. Prager also expresses that students should have more opportunities for fieldwork and research when studying the seas. She continues to express the importance of fieldwork to not only students in marine sciences, but in any field of science. The physical action of working and collecting data alongside performing observational studies has been proven to improve students’ ability to learn. Prager vocalizes that the discovery and uncover of the mysteries of the oceans is through the future generation of scientists. In my eyes, the money spent on ocean and space exploration should be equal. The general understanding is that the creation of life might have begun in the depths of the oceans. With a scientific background I feel as if the exploration of the oceans should be given more attention to the exploration of space. The exploration of the oceans might lead to new clues on how the human population truly came to be. Marine exploration should be just as important as space exploration because this bias of funding is not evenly distributed within the science community. I learned that our actions here on land in terms of trash and debris management have a huge impact on the marine life throughout the oceans, as certain areas of the ocean are becoming dead zones due to our negligence and improper disposable of our debris. Prager concludes with the discussion of how the oceans are changing due to the impact of human negligence, and the importance of scientific research to understanding how these changes will affect our lives in the
Sharks rely on several mechanisms to maintain their buoyancy in water. Firstly, their skeleton is made of cartilage that is less dense than bone. The second mechanism is the dynamic lift where they use their pectoral fins to maintain their buoyancy, just as the birds use their wings in the air. Liver contributes about 25% of the total mass of the shark. Moreover, it contains a natural compound known as Squalene. It is mainly used in the synthesis of Vitamin D and cholesterol. The compound has a lower density that assists the fish in maintaining buoyancy. However, fish with swim bladder have an advantage over sharks in that they can remain still in the water, unlike the shark that must stay in motion to control its
The Natural History of Megaptera novaeanglae Matthew Bindman, “Lab section” The humpback whale, scientifically known as Megaptera novaenglae, is one of the most majestic marine mammals on the planet. Humpback whales belong to a filter feeding subphylum of whale called Mysticeti and are in the family Balaenopteridae (Milinkovitch and Lambert 2008). They possess morphological features that help them engage in different styles of predation, are located in all the major ocean basins, engage in long distance migrations, and were almost wiped out due to over exploitation. Unlike other balaenopterids, M.novaenglae relies heavily on maneuverability when capturing prey and their pectoral flippers allow them to be highly maneuverable (Wiley et al. 2011). The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the Their pectoral flippers are the longest of any cetacean, which vary in length from one fourth to one third the total body length (Wiley et al. 2011).
...ms within. I grew up on the lake, so water will and has always been a part of my life. I go to the beach almost every year, so I am frequently involved with the ocean life as well. My dad is a fisherman; he has been to many places and shown me many unique animals he has caught. I feel that it would be the most interesting job to have because there is a huge ocean to explore. Another awesome part of the job would be the idea of always learning new things about the fish. It would never turn into that job that has the same old routine because discoveries are still being made. The only down side to being a marine biologist is constantly smelling like a fish and dealing with the rather large fish that could endanger my life. But every job is going to have a down side, if these two are the only downsides to having this job, then I would have no problem conquering my fear.
Imagine a lush underwater place. Beautiful structures colorful animals and places that would never have been thought of before. In reality that's not what it really looks like, really the ocean is a desolate place that is barren like a desert. Many marine species have been lost by as much as 49%.(seeker) A big part of that reason is because of coral bleaching which causes as stated above a decline in species that depend on the coral as there home. Coral bleaching is a serious problem that could cause problems for everyone if we don’t fix it.
Marine biology is the study of marine life in salt water ecosystems. It can also be described as observing how marine species interact with one another. Certain species of underwater plants can affect the environment in which they are put in. Some branches of marine biology study the affects of said plants. There are many branches of marine biology. Many people tend to study dolphins or sharks, since those are the most known marine animal. Only 30% of the world's oceans have been explored. This means that by being a marine biologists, I can have the chance to explore parts of the world that have never been seen before. Not many people are willing to go through the dark places of the oceans. This is what I want to do, because I would be the first one to see what is hidden behind the veil of darkness.
When the average person thinks about zoology, they usually think about a zoo and or animals. As said in General Zoology, many questions come with this topic. “What is life? In what ways are the various kinds of animals alike or unlike in structure, internal processes, and modes of life? How do animals carry on their activities? How are the many kinds related to one another? In what ways does man resemble and differ from other living things? The answers to many of these questions are provided by the science of zoology.” (General Zoology, page 3). While zoology does involve animals, the general study of zoology is far more complicated then one would imagine. Zoology is a branch of biology that studies the classification, origins, habitats and behaviors of organisms. Someone who studies zoology is a zoologist, and has the tasks of learning about new species and their habitats. It is a job that if mastered, can be one of the most fulfilling and knowledgeable careers someone can obtain.
Since then, when abroad, I have participated in documenting the biodiversity of aquatic environments be means of scuba-diving and snorkelling. Books have instigated a keen interest in the ecosystem and its conservation from both an academic and superficial perspective, be it Top Predators of the Ocean or Dynamics of Marine Ecosystems: Biological-Physical Interactions in the oceans. Travelling to different seas has given me insight into the aquatic world, thus I am familiar with organisms from The Mediterranean to The Red Sea. ' A' level study has expanded and shaped my knowledge, whilst providing me with skills to take my studies forward. My ability to analyze, be organized and work in a team has been greatly enhanced by the practical challenges of biology, whilst, the theoretical side has developed my independence, confidence to research independently and manage time effectively.
Career Reflection Paper I strive to become a marine biologist who studies the organisms in the ocean such as animals, plants, and their ecosystems, also observing, protecting, or managing marine organisms. Some subfields that are linked to the marine biology would be an invertebrate zoologist, ichthyologist, and the study of oceanography. Since the sixth grade, I would watch documentaries on National Geographic explaining our oceans and what may lie within them. It has always intrigued me to learn to learn about that 71% of ocean covering the Earth’s surface, whether it may be coral reefs, endangered organisms, or the terrible mistreatment of aquatic animals around the world.
They offer 50% of the oxygen that all living things in the world depend on! Problems including the recent BP oil spill though continue to threaten the future for many plants and animals in the ocean biome. The long-term effects of such damages from that oil spill won’t be known until well into the future. Even with all the efforts that have been implemented for rescue and clean up, the damages to the species live in the ocean has already occurred on many levels. Scientists have identified and categorized more than 1 million different types of plants and algae in the ocean biomes.
Aquaculture Management – Scallop Introduction: Why should you go into aquaculture? Fishes (seafood) are known to produce protein for human consumption more efficiently than any other species, also stated by nutritionists, fish provides healthier forms of protein. http://marinelife.about.com/od/invertebrates/tp/10-Facts-About-Scallops.htm 1st Stage: Collection of spat (scallop larvae) There are two ways to obtain spat to start an aquaculture farm: • Collection of wild spat - set up a series of mesh spat bags suspended in the water column on a line anchored to the seafloor in an area known to have high scallop productivity. The concept of the collection is that the spats will pass through the mesh bag and attach to the material stuffed inside and grow until they are larger than the mesh material to be collected.
Did you know that more than 90 percent of all organisms that have ever lived on Earth are extinct? According to Pandey, the author of Humans Pushing Marine Life toward ‘Major Extinction’, nearly 10,000 species go extinct each year, and this rate is estimated to be 1,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate (1). Human beings are causing irreversible damage to the oceans and their wildlife, which is being led by two major reasons: Commercial fishing or over-fishing, which damaged the marine environment and caused a loss in the marine life diversity, and pollution, which is a primary way of the extinction causes that drastically modifies the marine life habitat. As a result of the commercial fishing and pollution, many of the marine species will start disappearing of the oceans. Briggs emphasizes that over-fishing “has induced population collapses in many species. So instead of having less than a hundred species at risk, as was the case some 30-40 years ago, there are now a thousand or more (10).”