Marine Biology

Where have we been, and where are we going?

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 6

James Cook Voyages

Francesco Bartolozzi and William Byrne The death of Captain 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 8

Atoll Reefs and Barnacles

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 11

HMS Challenger Voyage

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

Introduction 14

Aquarius Habitat

Introduction 15

UNC-W’s Center for Marine Science

http://www.uncwil.edu/cmsr