What is Marine Bio?

What is Marine Biology?

  • The study of organisms that live in the sea, including all water that has some degree of salinity

  • Marine biology is not a separate science.

  • It is an applied field of biology.

  • It incorporates many other sciences, such as Geology, Chemistry, Physics, Meteorology, Zoology, and Botany.

Exam 1 Question: “Marine Biology includes all of the what?”

A Marine Biologist is not an Oceanographer. Oceanographers mainly study the physical aspects of the ocean, including tides, currents, waves, and the chemical makeup of saltwater.

Why study Marine Biology?

  1. Studying marine life can provide clues about early life on Earth.

  2. Many products come from the sea, including food, medicines, and other items used for human use.

  3. Marine organisms produce oxygen.

  4. The marine environment provides recreation and supports tourism worldwide.

  5. The oceans help regulate climate.

History of Marine Biology?

  • Humans have used the ocean for a long time.

  • Pacific Islanders made early explorations.

    • Also, the Phoenicians and Greeks

-Captain James Cook sailed around the world beginning in 1768

  • They were the first Europeans to view Antarctica, Hawaii, Tahiti, and many other Pacific islands.

- His crew did extensive mapping and brought back many specimens.

- Charles Darwin

- Sailed on the HMS Beagle from 1831-1836 as a naturalist.

- The primary goal was to map coastlines

- Observed, collected, and wrote detailed written descriptions of the organisms

- Theory of natural selection and evolution.

- Edward Forbes

- Extensively studied the seafloor of the British Isles in the 1840s and 1850s

- Discovered that species on the seafloor vary greatly depending on depth

- a fundamental principle of marine biology

- Challenger Expedition (1872-1876)

- The first major exploration was devoted to the study of marine organisms.

- Discovered thousands of species

- previously undescribed

- Published 50 volumes of information

- It took 19 years!

Modern Marine Biology

  • Many marine biology research stations exist in locations around the world.

  • Several facilities in the United States are considered among the most famous:

    • Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Marine Biological Laboratory, Massachusetts

    • Scripps Institution - La Jolla, California

    • Friday Harbor Laboratories, Washington state

Important Tools in Modern Marine Biology

  • Remote sensing - Satellites are used to study large expanses of the ocean surface.

  • Sonar - Used to map seafloor depths and formations

  • Scuba - Used for the study of the marine environment for longer periods and at depths otherwise unavailable to humans

  • Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) - Allows for direct exploration of the marine environment when scuba is not an option.

  • Research vessels - Essentially floating labs

  • Many electronic devices and other gear are currently used to study the marine environment and its inhabitants.

The Scientific Method

  • It is used to perform all scientific research

    • Including marine biology research

  • The scientific method is a systematic way of testing ideas.

  • At the heart of the method is the need to OBSERVE nature.

Observation

  • Information gathered with our senses or equipment that extends our senses.

Inference

  • Explanation of what might have caused the observed phenomenon.

  • Begins with a hypothesis, a testable statement constructed from:

    • Observations

    • Reasoning, both induction and deduction.

  • The hypothesis must be worded so that it is testable

  • A researcher must look at only one factor at a time

  • These factors are the variables.

  • Variables: If only temperature is being tested, all other factors must be kept constant: amount of food given, ag and size of fish, oxygen concentration, Salinity, etc

  • Allows researcher to make clear conclusions

  • No compounding of effects

Limitations of Scientific Method

  • Science requires:

    • Direct observations or measurements

    • A testable hypothesis

    • Not all questions can be answered.

  • Cannot answer based on values, feelings, and beliefs.

  • It cannot be used to ask the question: What is my cat, Vincent, thinking?

Statistics

  • Determines if data is meaningful and significant

  • Correlation doesn't equal Causations

Correlation

  • When two things occur together, but one does not necessarily cause the other

Cause and Effect