Marine Life

Marine Life / What is Marine Biology? »

Marine life is the essence of MarineBio, so in this section we explore the science, biology, taxonomy, morphology, behavior, and ecological relationships of marine life that inhabits our ocean.

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Marine Species Database
- Search/browse our growing database of endangered, threatened, and the most common marine species...

What is Marine Biology?
- Marine biology is the study of life in the oceans and other saltwater environments such as estuaries and wetlands. All plant and animal life forms are included from the microscopic picoplankton all the way to the majestic blue whale, the largest creature in the sea—and for that matter in the world...

A History of the Study of Marine Biology
- It wasn't until the writings of Aristotle from 384-322 BC that specific references to marine life were recorded. Aristotle identified a variety of species including crustaceans, echinoderms, mollusks, and fish...

The Naming of Life: Marine Taxonomy
- Marine taxonomy and the science of naming life and evolutionary relationships...

Forests of the Sea: Phytoplankton and Marine plants
- Phytoplankton, Diatoms, Dinoflagellates, Algae, Seagrasses, and Kelp Beds: Forests of the Sea...

Zooplankton
- Taxonomy, Nanoplanktonic Flagellates, Cnidarians, Rotifera, Chaetognatha, Marine Gastropods, Polychaeta, Copepods, Cladocerans, Krill, Insect Larvae, Tunicates...

Marine Invertebrates: Sponges, Cnidarians, Worms, Lophophorates, Molluscs, Arthropods, Echinoderms, and Hemichordates are all animals that lack backbones and are known as invertebrates. Over 98% of species are invertebrates. Some invertebrate phyla have only one species, while others, like Arthropoda, include more than 83% of all described animal species with over a million species!

Coral Reefs
- Importance, variety and conservation issues...

Octopuses, squid, cuttlefish, and nautiloids
- Cephalopod species at MarineBio.org...

In the works:

Marine Vertebrates
- Marine vertebrates, classified under the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Chordata and Subphylum Vertebrata, are among the most structurally complex organisms. The seven main superclasses and classes in Vertebrata are: Agnatha, Amphibia, Aves, Chondrichthyes (“Condr-ICK-thees”), Mammalia, Osteichthyes (“Ostee-ICK-thees”), and Reptilia.

Marine Birds
- Penguins, puffins, pelicans, boobies, flamingo, etc.

Marine Fishes
- Jacks, cod, sailfish, scorpionfish, tuna, marlin, parrotfish, angelfish, barracuda, sea horses, eels, etc.

Marine Reptiles
- Sea turtles, the marine iguana, saltwater crocodile, and sea snakes.

Sharks & Rays
- Basking sharks, blue and bull sharks, the goblin sharks, great whites, hammerheads, lemon sharks, mantas and stingrays, nurse sharks, oceanic whitetips, tiger sharks, salmon sharks, threshers, whale sharks, wobbegongs, etc.

Marine Mammals
- For generations, whales and other marine mammals have intrigued humans. 2,400 years ago, Aristotle recognized that whales are mammals, not fish, because they nurse their young and breathe air like other mammals. There are numerous myths and legends surrounding marine mammals. The Greeks believed that killing a dolphin was as bad as murdering a human.

Seals & Sea Lions, Polar Bears, Sea Otters...
- Fur seals, sea lions, seals, polar bears, walruses and sea otters.

Whales & Dolphins (Cetaceans)
- Find out about 16 species of rare beaked whales, 28 species of dolphins, 6 species of porpoises, 6 species of baleen whales, the dwarf and pgymy sperm whales, 4 right whales, the gray whale, 6 river dolphins, the narwhal, beluga, and sperm whales.

Dolphins
- They're the acrobats and court jesters of the sea, troops of aerial spinners and wave dancers. Their long sleek bodies jet high into the air as they perform a grand ballet with tails propelling them as they skim each wave against the continuous horizon. Mesmerizing to watch, dolphins have been gliding, flipping and dancing into our hearts for centuries.

The Structures & Adaptations to Marine Living
- Here we look at the development and uses of marine body types, common characteristics like fins, scales and shells. We'll see how "different" marine life really is...

The Grazers & Predators
- Let's look at the different roles of marine life. We're familiar with grazers and predators on land, how do they behave in the sea..?

Marine Life Cycles
- We have fission, budding, eggs that hatch internally, eggs that hatch externally, live births, some start as plankton (zooplankton), some are born in fresh water, some are born on land...

Symbionts, Parasites, Hosts & Cooperation
- Every form of interaction between different species is seen in the sea. Some creatures depend on each other for food, protection or a just a safe place to lay eggs. A parasite isn't always bad... see examples of cooperation that we humans could learn from...

Marine Ecology
- Marine life habitats, populations and interactions among organisms and their environment...

Trophic Structure
- All organisms in an ecosystem can be placed in trophic levels depending what energy source they rely upon and how they provide energy for other organisms in their food web...

Biotic Structure
- The way organisms interact within ecosystems. Food webs vs food chains, trophic levels, symbiosis, predators...

Ecological Regulation
- Complex webs of factors that fit together to form balanced life systems capable of withstanding most changes...

Marine Life Photo Galleries
- Browse photos of marine life from some of the world's best photographers and MarineBio staff from around the world...

Marine Life Video Library
- Watch hours of videos from MarineBio Expeditions and across the Web of marine life and related movies, documentaries and even lectures...

Marine Life Forums
- Join discussions involving the latest research & news, marine conservation, marine animals & plants, and more...

Sharks & Rays | Fishes | Squid & Octopuses | Reptiles | Birds | Seals & Sea lions+ | Whales & Dolphins

Marine Life / What is Marine Biology? »

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MLA Citation: "". MarineBio.org. <http://www.marinebio.org/Oceans/Creatures.asp?>. Note: If no author is given under the main page title, simply cite MarineBio.org.

Sea Life News   :: ScienceDaily

Lessons in coral reef survival from deep time

Lessons from tens of millions of years ago are pointing to new ways to save and protect today's coral reefs and their myriad of beautiful and many-hued fishes at a time of huge change in the Earth's systems. Today's complex relationship between fishes and corals developed relatively recently in geological terms -- and is a major factor in shielding reef species from extinction, say experts.

Carbon dioxide is 'driving fish crazy'

Rising human carbon dioxide emissions may be affecting the brains and central nervous system of sea fishes with serious consequences for their survival, an international scientific team has found. Carbon dioxide concentrations predicted to occur in the ocean by the end of this century will interfere with fishes' ability to hear, smell, turn and evade predators, says a professor.

Multiple partners not the only way for corals to stay cool

For the first time scientists have shown that corals hosting a single type of zooxanthellae can have different levels of thermal tolerance -– a feature that was only known previously for corals with a mix of zooxanthellae. This finding is important because many species of coral are dominated by a single type of zooxanthellae.

Inventory lists 19,232 newly discovered species during latest count

More than half of the 19,232 species newly known to science in 2009, the most recent calendar year of compilation, were insects -- 9,738 or 50.6 percent -- according to the 2011 State of Observed Species.

Extremely rare turtle is released into the wild

Biologists have successfully released a Southern River terrapin (Batagur affinis) – one of the most endangered turtles on Earth – into the Sre Ambel River in Cambodia.

Breakthrough model reveals evolution of ancient nervous systems through seashell colors

Determining the evolution of pigmentation patterns on mollusk seashells -- which could aid in the understanding of ancient nervous systems -- has proved to be a challenging feat for researchers. Now, however, through mathematical equations and simulations, researchers have used 19 different species of the predatory sea snail Conus to generate a model of the pigmentation patterns of mollusk shells.

Wandering albatross alters its foraging due to climate change

Wandering albatrosses have altered their foraging due to changes in wind fields in the southern hemisphere during the last decades. Since winds have increased in intensity and moved to the south, the flight speed of albatrosses increased and they spend less time foraging. As a consequence, breeding success has improved and birds have gained 1 kilogram.

Can we save the whales by putting a price on them?

Every year, anti-whaling groups spend millions of dollars on activities intended to end commercial whaling. And every year, commercial whaling not only continues, but grows. While protests, education, lobbying and dangerous confrontations on the high seas have saved some whales, the whaling industry shows no sign of shutting down -- or slowing down. Now, an economist and two marine scientists suggest a new strategy that they believe could save whales by putting a price on them.

Lake Erie algae and ice make a nice mix in winter

Scientists have studied Lake Erie over the past five winters during mid-winter, a time when the lake is more than 70 percent covered by ice. They've documented very high concentrations of algae thriving in the water below the ice -- even in the ice itself.

Fish offspring grow best at same temperature as parents

Fish parents can pre-condition their offspring to grow fastest at the temperature they experienced, according to new research.

World's most extreme deep-sea vents revealed: Deeper than any seen before, and teeming with new creatures

Scientists have revealed details of the world's most extreme deep-sea volcanic vents, five kilometers down in a rift in the Caribbean seafloor. The undersea hot springs, which lie 0.8 kilometers deeper than any seen before, may be hotter than 450 °C and are shooting a jet of mineral-laden water more than a kilometer into the ocean above.

Bycatch-22: Protecting Butterfish

Scientists work to assist fishermen in ways to avoid accidentally hauling in butterfish, a species protected by fishing limits. The researchers develop models to predict where the fish will be.

Paddlefish sensors tuned to detect signals from zooplankton prey

Neurons fire in a synchronized bursting pattern in response to robust signals indicating nearby food.

Harp seals on thin ice after 32 years of warming

Warming in the North Atlantic over the last 32 years has significantly reduced winter sea ice cover in harp seal breeding grounds, resulting in sharply higher death rates among seal pups in recent years, according to a new study.

Fish mimics octopus that mimics fish

Nature's game of intimidation and imitation comes full circle in the waters of Indonesia, where scientists have recorded for the first time an association between the black-marble jawfish and the mimic octopus.

Salt water alone unlikely to halt Burmese python invasion

Invasive Burmese python hatchlings from the Florida Everglades can withstand exposure to salt water long enough to potentially expand their range through ocean and estuarine environments.

'Lost world' discovered around Antarctic vents

Communities of species previously unknown to science have been discovered on the seafloor near Antarctica, clustered in the hot, dark environment surrounding hydrothermal vents. The discoveries include new species of yeti crab, starfish, barnacles, sea anemones, and potentially an octopus.

Molecular mechanism links temperature with sex determination in some fish species

Researchers have found the epigenetic mechanism that links temperature and gonadal sex in fish. High temperature increases DNA methylation of the gonadal aromatase promoter in females.

Sunlight and bunker oil a fatal combination for Pacific herring

The 2007 Cosco Busan disaster, which spilled 54,000 gallons of oil into the San Francisco Bay, had an unexpectedly lethal impact on embryonic fish, devastating a commercially and ecologically important species for nearly two years, reports a new study.

Bacteria's move from sea to land may have occurred much later than thought

A new analysis indicates the shift of soil bacteria Azospirillum may have occurred only 400 million years ago, rather than approximately two billion years earlier as originally thought.