Marine Biology
Marine Biology is the study of ocean plants and animals and their ecological relationships.
The scientific study of marine biology dates from the early 19th cent. and now includes laboratory study of organisms for their usefulness to humans and the effects of human activity on marine environments.
About 71% of the surface of this planet is covered by salt water. The water depth averages 3.8 km (2.4 miles or 12,500 feet!) with a volume of about 1,370 x 106 km3. Since life exists throughout this immense volume, the oceans constitute the single largest repository of organisms on the planet. These organisms include members of virtually all phyla and are tremendously varied.
We have approximately 1.7 million identified species up to possibly 10 or even 100 million total species on Earth. Of the 1.7 million, if we initially ignore viruses, bacteria, fungi, arachnids, insects and half the protozoans and plant species, we are left with approximately 500,000 species considered "marine".
Marine organisms may be classified (according to their mode of life) as nektonic, planktonic, or benthic. Nektonic animals are those that swim and migrate freely, e.g., adult fishes, whales, and squid. Planktonic organisms, usually very small or microscopic, have little or no power of locomotion and merely drift or float in the water. Benthic organisms live on the sea bottom and include sessile forms (e.g., sponges, oysters, and corals), creeping organisms (e.g., crabs and snails), and burrowing animals (e.g., many clams and worms). Seafloor areas called hydrothermal vents, with giant tube worms and many other unusual life forms, have been intensively studied by marine biologists in recent years.
The distribution of marine organisms depends on the chemical and physical properties of seawater (temperature, salinity, and dissolved nutrients), on ocean currents (which carry oxygen to subsurface waters and disperse nutrients, wastes, spores, eggs, larvae, and plankton), and on penetration of light. Photosynthetic organisms (plants, algae, and cyanobacteria), the primary sources of food, exist only in the photic, or euphotic, zone (to a depth of about 300 ft/90 m), where light is sufficient for photosynthesis.
Since only about 2% of the ocean floor lies in the photic zone, photosynthetic organisms in the benthos are far less abundant than photosynthetic plankton (phytoplankton), which is distributed near the surface oceanwide. Very abundant phytoplankton include the diatoms and dinoflagellates. Heterotrophic plankton (zooplankton) include such protozoans as the foraminiferans; they are found at all depths but are more numerous near the surface. Bacteria are abundant in upper waters and in bottom deposits.
- Encyclopedia.com
Marine Biology Wikipedia
Live fish caught at record depth BBC - July 31, 2008
Human Speech Traced to Talking Fish Live Science - July 18, 2008
Odd Fish Find Contradicts Intelligent-Design Argument National Geographic - July 9, 2008
The discovery of a missing link in the evolution of bizarre flatfishes
each of which has both eyes on the same side of its head could
give intelligent design advocates a sinking feeling.
Marine worms follow Fibonacci's lead ABC - June 19, 2008
Polychaetes, sometimes called bristle worms, have a segmented body, each with a pair of fleshy appendages covered in bristles. In one group, these appendages, known as dorsal cirri, grow in characteristic patterns of alternating short and long versions. One of the researchers, Professor Stephen Glasby, a mathematician from Central Washington University, says each species exhibited different sequences. "Different species by and large have different sequences of short and long appendages, and they can be quite complicated," says Glasby. To better understand the numemic nature of the polychaetes, Glasby worked alongside his brother Dr Chris Glasby from the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory and Dr Fredrik Pleijel from Gothenburg University in Sweden.
Zeros and Ones
The researchers converted the sequence of long and short appendages into a series of zeros and ones. Next, they entered that sequence into an online database of number sequences. "We typed in the series of zeros and ones, and lo and behold, a number of very simple sequences showed up that matched the dorsal cirri of a large number of worms, one of which was the Fibonacci string sequence," says Glasby.
The Fibonacci string sequence consists numbers where the next number in the sequence is calculated by adding up the previous two numbers - 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8.... "This is an incredibly simple growth rule that explains the sequence of cirri on these species of worms. We looked at a number of worms and for some species the growth of long and short cirri could be explained by other very simple rules," Glasby says. The researchers stress that they have not found a genetic basis for the patterns, but say their work shows how mathematics could provide valuable clues for biologists. "We're trying to find simple mathematical rules that explain the biological observations" Glasby says. "One of the only major hopes for getting a deeper understanding of the genetic code is going to pure mathematics."
Hot Life-Forms Found a Mile Under Seafloor National Geographic - May 23, 2008
"Reverse Evolution" Found in Seattle Fish National Geographic - May 20, 2008
Mantis shrimp sees colors invisible to humans and other animals, viewing the world in 11 or 12 primary colors National Geographic - May 20, 2008
Giant Squid
Colossal Squid Has Glowing "Cloaking Device," Huge Eyes National Geographic - May 2, 2008
Photos: Colossal Squid Revealed in First In-Depth Look National Geographic - May 2, 2008
Colossal squid's true size revealed ABC - May 2, 2008
Colossal Squid Google Videos
The Freaky Fish of the Congo Live Science - May 2, 2008
No sex for all-girl fish species BBC - April 23, 2008
A fish species, which is all female, has survived for 70,000
years without reproducing sexually, experts believe.
Rare white killer whale spotted in Alaska MSNBC - March 7, 2008
Genome Of Marine Organism Tells Of Humans' Unicellular Ancestors Science Daily - February 20, 2008
Video: Giant Sea Spiders Found National Geographic - February 19, 2008
Scientists studying Antarctic waters have filmed and captured giant sea creatures,
like sea spiders the size of dinner plates and jelly fish with six meter (18 feet) tentacles.
Whales Evolved From Tiny Deerlike Mammals, Study Says National Geographic - December 20, 2007
Why Deep-Diving Mammals Don't Black Out Live Science - December 19, 2007 Fish Swim North as Seas Warm Live Science - December 17, 2007
Fish Use Clever Mating Trick Live Science - November 15, 2007
57 New Freshwater Fish Species Found in Europe National Geographic - November 15, 2007
Fish Lives in Logs, Breathing Air, for Months at a Time National Geographic - November 6, 2007
A tiny Western Atlantic fish does something never before seen -
It makes like a bird, living in mangrove wood for months at a time.
Fish-Like Creature Glows in the Dark Live Science - November 6, 2007
Ming the clam is 'oldest animal' - 400 Years Old BBC - October 29, 2007
The mangrove killifish can survive for months in a tree Daily Mail - October 18, 2007
Mangrove Rivulus Wikipedia
Hidden away inside rotten branches and trunks, the remarkable creatures temporarily alter their biological makeup so they can breathe air. Biologists studying the killifish say they astonished it can cope for so long out of its natural habitat. The discovery, along with its ability to breed without a mate, must make the mangrove killifish, Rivulus marmoratus Poey, one of the oddest fish known to man.
Around two inches long, they normally live in muddy pools and the flooded burrows of crabs in the mangrove swamps of Florida, Latin American and Caribbean. The latest discovery was made by biologists wading through swamps in Belize and Florida who found hundreds of killifish hiding out of the water in the rotting branches and trunks of trees. The fish had flopped their way to their new homes when their pools of water around the roots of mangroves dried up. Inside the logs, they were lined up end to end along tracks carved out by insects.
Although the cracks inside logs make a perfect hiding place, conditions can be cramped. The fish - which are usually fiercely territorial - are forced to curb their aggression. Another study, published earlier this year, revealed how they alter their bodies and metabolism to cope with life out of water. Their gills are altered to retain water and nutrients, while they excrete nitrogen waste through their skin. These changes are reversed as soon as they return to the water. Previously their biggest claim to fame was that they are the only known vertebrate animal with a backbone to reproduce without the need for a mate.
Killifish can develop both female and male sexual organs, and fertilise their eggs while they are still in the body, laying tiny embryos into the water. They are not the only fish able to breathe air. The walking catfish of South-east Asia has gills that allow it to breathe in air and in water. The climbing perch of India can suffocate in water unless it can also gulp in air.
Do Fish Sleep? Live Science - October 17, 2007
Manila: Exotic creatures found in 'coral triangle' National Geographic - October 16, 2007
Scientists Discover Rare Albino Ratfish Live Science - September 24, 2007
When Bivalves Ruled The World Science Daily - September 1, 2007
Before the worst mass extinction of life in Earth's history -- 252 million years ago --
ocean life was diverse and clam-like organisms called brachiopods dominated.
After the calamity, when little else existed, a different kind of clam-like organism,
called a bivalve, took over.
"Extinct" River Dolphin Spotted in China National Geographic - September 1, 2007
Rare dolphin 'sighted' in China BBC - August 29, 2007
Colorful Carpet of Cool Sea Creatures Discovered 2 Miles Deep Live Science - August 24, 2007
A submerged mountain ridge beneath the North Atlantic Ocean has revealed
a new crustacean species and oodles of other life forms, ranging from polka-dotted
glass squid resembling beach balls to grim viperfish with teeth like ice-picks.
Weird Deep-Sea Creatures Found in Atlantic National Geographic - August 22, 2007
Colorful Carpet of Cool Sea Creatures Discovered 2 Miles Deep Live Science - August 24, 2007
A submerged mountain ridge beneath the North Atlantic Ocean has revealed
a new crustacean species and oodles of other life forms, ranging from polka-dotted
glass squid resembling beach balls to grim viperfish with teeth like ice-picks.
Sharks have fingers? hey have genes for digits but turn them off MSNBC - August 17, 2007
Sharks Have Genes for Fingers and Toes National Geographic - August 15, 2007
Jaws, Teeth of Earliest Bony Fish Discovered National Geographic - August 1, 2007
Fisherman catches 'living fossil' BBC - August 1, 2007
An extremely rare "living fossil" caught by a fisherman
in Indonesia is being examined by scientists.
Rare "Octosquid" Captured in Hawaii National Geographic - July 6, 2007
19th century lance found in whale BBC - June 13, 2007
A 50-ton bowhead whale caught off the Alaskan coast last month had a weapon
fragment embedded in its neck that showed it survived a similar hunt - more
than a century ago. Scientists have retrieved a weapon fragment from a whale
that suggests it may have swum its first strokes not long after the American Civil War.
The fragment is part of a time delay bomb that was introduced in 1879 and
manufactured until 1885. Scientists say it is rare to find a whale over 100 years
old but believe some may reach 200.
Hammerhead Shark Gave "Virgin Birth" in Omaha Zoo National Geographic - May 26, 2007
Bizarre New Deep-Sea Creatures Found Off Antarctica National Geographic - May 17, 2007
Antarctic 'treasure trove' found BBC - May 17, 2007
Researchers discover ancient undersea world Guardian - April 24, 2007
A lost landscape where early humans roamed more than 12,000 years ago has been uncovered beneath the North Sea. A map of the underwater world reveals crisscrossing rivers, giant lakes and gentle hills around which hunter-gatherers made their homes and found their meals toward the end of the last ice age. The region was inundated between 18,000 and 6,000BC, when the warming climate melted the thick glaciers that pressed down from the north. As the waters rose, the great plain vanished, and slowly, the contours of the British isles and the north-west European coastline were established. Now, the primitive landscape is submerged and preserved,tens of metres beneath one of the busiest seas in the world.
New Marine Species Discovered In Eastern Pacific Science Daily - March 9, 2007
The Secret Language of Whales Revealed Live Science - March 6, 2007
Sea Squirt Regrows Entire Body from One Blood Vessel Live Science - March 6, 2007
NZ fishermen land colossal 1,000 pound squid BBC - February 22, 2007
Large squid lights up for attack National Geographic - February 14, 2007
Rare "Prehistoric" Shark Photographed Alive National Geographic - January 24, 2007
Fish Capable of Human-like Logic Live Science - January 24, 2007
In a Vast Sea, How Fish Find Home Live Science - January 10, 2007
Extreme New Species Discovered by Sea-Life Survey National Geographic - December 11, 2006
Prehistoric fish packed a mean bite MSNBC - November 29, 2006
Whale Vocabulary More Elaborate Than Thought Live Science - November 28, 2006
Humpback whales have a type of brain cell seen only in humans,
the great apes, and other cetaceans such as dolphins.
Bizarre deep-sea creatures imaged off New Zealand New Scientist - November 27, 2006
'Nymph Of The Sea' Reveals Remarkable Brood Science Daily - November 24, 2006
Geologists have made an unusual discovery from
over 425 million years ago ... hard boiled eggs!
Stunning finds of fish and coral BBC - September 18, 2006
Discoveries of hugely diverse fish and coral species in the Indonesian
archipelago have amazed researchers. Shark walks on fins ...
Shark Fins and Human Arms Made from Same Genes Live Science - July 26, 2006
Surprising Beauty Discovered on Pacific Seafloor Live Science - June 26, 2006
Hawaii Islands Named World's Largest Marine Sanctuary BBC - June 16, 2006
Surpassing Australia's Great Barrier Reef, the Northwestern
Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) will form part of a 140,000-square-mile
(362,580-square-kilometer) protected area nearly the size of California.
Atlantic Ocean has returned with tiny animals which appear new to science BBC - May 5, 2006
African fish leaps for land bugs BBC - April 13, 2006
... a fish that can hunt and catch its prey on land
Fossil Fish With "Limbs" Is Missing Link, Study Says National Geographic - April 6, 2006
Arctic fossils mark move to land BBC - April 5, 2006
Fossil animals found in Arctic Canada provide a snapshot of fish
evolving into land animals, scientists say. The finds are giving
researchers a fascinating insight into this key stage in the
evolution of life on Earth.
'Furry lobster' find in Pacific BBC - March 8, 2006
Secret Lives of Deep-Sea Beasts Revealed Live Science - March 6, 2006
Tiny fish sets new world record BBC - January 25, 2006
Seafloor Creatures Destroyed By Ice Action During Ice Ages Science Daily - October 19, 2005
Great white's marathon sea trek BBC - October 6, 2005
A great white shark crossed the Indian ocean from South
Africa to Australia and back again within just nine months.
Nicole logged more than 12,000 miles swimming from Africa to
Australia and back, the first proof of a link between the two
continents' shark populations, researchers say.
A set of extraordinary images captured by Japanese scientists marks the first-ever record of a live giant squid (Architeuthis) in the wild National Geographic - September 28, 2005
Live giant squid caught on camera BBC - September 28, 2005
Sea monsters found in desert News in Science - May 25, 2005
Australia is emerging as a missing link in the evolution
of giant prehistoric marine reptiles, says a scientist who
has discovered what may be a new species of plesiosaur.
Gulf of Mexico "Dead Zone" Is Size of New Jersey National Geographic - May 26, 2005
Each year a swath of the Gulf of Mexico becomes so devoid of
shrimp, fish, and other marine life that it is known as the dead zone.
Whales 'led astray by magnetism' BBC May 13, 2005
Warmer waters 'drive fish north' BBC - May 13, 2005
Well Endowed Fish Get the Girls Live Science - May 12, 2005
Amazon: New species are being found in record numbers in the rivers Guardian - April 2005
Fish Diversity Tied to Evolution of Diving Ability Scientific American - March 2005
Unweaving the song of whales BBC - March 2005
Sea Squids Owe Their Glow To Molecule Previously Linked To Whooping Cough Science Daily - January
Science taps into ocean secrets BBC - November 2004
Some 13,000 new marine species have been
discovered in the past year, according to an
international alliance of scientists.
Male Fish Producing Eggs in Potomac River National Geographic - November 2004
Unknown underwater animal found in Atlantic Ocean Pravda - August 2004
Fossils Show How Whales Evolved to Hear Underwater National Geographic - August 2004
World's tiniest fish identified BBC - July 2004
Pollution 'changes sex of fish' BBC - July 2004
Brazil - Atlanta Ocean: Prehistoric fish makes headlines Pravda
Sea 'dead zones' threaten fish BBC - March 2004
Sea areas starved of oxygen will soon damage fish stocks even more than
unsustainable catches, the United Nations believes. About 75% of the world's
fish stocks are already being overexploited, but Unep says the dead zones,
which now number nearly 150 worldwide, will probably prove a greater menace.
Eyeless "Ghost Fish" Haunts Ozark Caves National Geographic - October 2003
Ocean census discovers new fish BBC - October 2003
More than 600 new species of fish have been discovered by a
major ocean census and thousands more may be lurking undetected.
California: Rare Deep-Sea Nursery Discovered Discovery - September 2003
New species uncovered in Venezuela BBC - September 2003
Single celled organism has been discovered that can thrive at a record-breaking 121 Celsius BBC - August 2003
Whale-Size Mystery Creature Washes Ashore in Chile National Geographic - July 2003
Giant sea fossil unearthed BBC - January 2003
A complete skeleton of the biggest reptile that ever existed has been unearthed in Mexico. The fossilised bones have been identified as those of Liopleurodon ferox, a fierce predator that ruled the oceans about 150 million years ago
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