CHAPTER 1: THE SCIENCE OF MARINE BIOLOGY
- NOT REALLY A SEPARATE SCIENCE; JUST BIOLOGY
APPLIED TO THE SEA
- NEARLY ALL DISCIPLINES OF BIOLOGY ARE
REPRESENTED IN MARINE BIOLOGY
- EXAMPLE: THERE ARE MARINE BIOLOGISTS WHO
STUDY THE CHEMISTRY OF LIVING THINGS
- CLOSELY RELATED TO OCEANOGRAPHY (THE
SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF OCEANS); TOO CLOSELY
- COMMON DISTINCTIONS:
- MARINE BIOLOGISTS TEND TO STUDY ORGANISMS
CLOSER TO SHORE WHILE OCEANOGRAPHERS TEND TO
FOCUS ON ORGANISMS FARTHER FROM LAND
- MARINE BIOLOGISTS TEND TO STUDY MARINE LIFE
FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE ORGANISMS (EX.
STUDYING WHAT AN ORGANISM EATS), WHILE
OCEANOGRAPHERS TAKE THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE
OCEAN (EX. STUDYING HOW DID ENERGY CYCLES
THROUGH THE SYSTEM)
- THERE ARE STILL SO MANY EXCEPTIONS TO THESE
DISTINCTIONS THAT MANY MARINE SCIENTISTS CONSIDER
THEM TO BE THE SAME
THE HISTORY OF MARINE BIOLOGY
- SEAFOOD IS THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN CRUCIAL TO
EARLY HUMANS
- EARLIEST KNOWN STONE BLADES, 165000 YEARS
AGO, WERE DISCOVERED IN A SEASIDE CAVE IN SOUTH
AFRICA
, CHAPTER 1: THE SCIENCE OF MARINE BIOLOGY
THE HISTORY OF MARINE BIOLOGY (CON’T)
- THE USE OF MARINE RESOURCES IMPROVED PEOPLES’
KNOWLEDGE OF MASSING ORGANISMS, SEAMANSHIP, AND
NAVIGATION
- ANCIENT POLYNESIANS WERE CONSUMMATE
MARINERS USING WIND, WAVE, AND CURRENT PATTERNS
TO NAVIGATE OVER VAST DISTANCES
- PHOENICIANS WERE THE FIRST ACCOMPLISHED
WESTERN NAVIGATORS
- BY 2000 BCE THEY WERE SAILING AROUND THE
MEDITERRANEAN SEA, RED SEA, BLACK SEA, EASTERN
ATLANTIC OCEAN, AND INDIAN OCEAN
- ANCIENT GREEKS HAD CONSIDERABLE KNOWLEDGE
OF NEARSHORE ORGANISMS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
- ARISTOTLE IS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE THE FIRST
MARINE BIOLOGIST BECAUSE HE DESCRIBED MANY FORMS
OF MARINE LIFE
- EX. HE RECOGNIZED THINGS LIKE GILLS BEING A
BREATHING ORGAN
- DURING THE DARK AGES SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY CAME TO
A HALT IN EUROPE AND MUCH OF THE GREEKS’
DISCOVERIES WERE LOST OR DISTORTED
- DURING THE 9TH AND 10TH CENTURIES THE VIKINGS
CONTINUED THE EXPLORATION OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC
- ARAB TRADERS WERE ALSO EXPLORING IN THE MIDDLE
AGES
- DURING THE RENAISSANCE EXPEDITIONS BY FIGURES
LIKE COLUMBUS AND FERDINAND MAGELLAN TOOK PLACE
- ENGLISH SEA CAPTAIN JAMES COOK WAS AMONG THE
FIRST TO MAKE SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATIONS AND INCLUDE
A FULL TIME NATURALIST ON HIS CREW
- NOT REALLY A SEPARATE SCIENCE; JUST BIOLOGY
APPLIED TO THE SEA
- NEARLY ALL DISCIPLINES OF BIOLOGY ARE
REPRESENTED IN MARINE BIOLOGY
- EXAMPLE: THERE ARE MARINE BIOLOGISTS WHO
STUDY THE CHEMISTRY OF LIVING THINGS
- CLOSELY RELATED TO OCEANOGRAPHY (THE
SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF OCEANS); TOO CLOSELY
- COMMON DISTINCTIONS:
- MARINE BIOLOGISTS TEND TO STUDY ORGANISMS
CLOSER TO SHORE WHILE OCEANOGRAPHERS TEND TO
FOCUS ON ORGANISMS FARTHER FROM LAND
- MARINE BIOLOGISTS TEND TO STUDY MARINE LIFE
FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE ORGANISMS (EX.
STUDYING WHAT AN ORGANISM EATS), WHILE
OCEANOGRAPHERS TAKE THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE
OCEAN (EX. STUDYING HOW DID ENERGY CYCLES
THROUGH THE SYSTEM)
- THERE ARE STILL SO MANY EXCEPTIONS TO THESE
DISTINCTIONS THAT MANY MARINE SCIENTISTS CONSIDER
THEM TO BE THE SAME
THE HISTORY OF MARINE BIOLOGY
- SEAFOOD IS THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN CRUCIAL TO
EARLY HUMANS
- EARLIEST KNOWN STONE BLADES, 165000 YEARS
AGO, WERE DISCOVERED IN A SEASIDE CAVE IN SOUTH
AFRICA
, CHAPTER 1: THE SCIENCE OF MARINE BIOLOGY
THE HISTORY OF MARINE BIOLOGY (CON’T)
- THE USE OF MARINE RESOURCES IMPROVED PEOPLES’
KNOWLEDGE OF MASSING ORGANISMS, SEAMANSHIP, AND
NAVIGATION
- ANCIENT POLYNESIANS WERE CONSUMMATE
MARINERS USING WIND, WAVE, AND CURRENT PATTERNS
TO NAVIGATE OVER VAST DISTANCES
- PHOENICIANS WERE THE FIRST ACCOMPLISHED
WESTERN NAVIGATORS
- BY 2000 BCE THEY WERE SAILING AROUND THE
MEDITERRANEAN SEA, RED SEA, BLACK SEA, EASTERN
ATLANTIC OCEAN, AND INDIAN OCEAN
- ANCIENT GREEKS HAD CONSIDERABLE KNOWLEDGE
OF NEARSHORE ORGANISMS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
- ARISTOTLE IS CONSIDERED BY MANY TO BE THE FIRST
MARINE BIOLOGIST BECAUSE HE DESCRIBED MANY FORMS
OF MARINE LIFE
- EX. HE RECOGNIZED THINGS LIKE GILLS BEING A
BREATHING ORGAN
- DURING THE DARK AGES SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY CAME TO
A HALT IN EUROPE AND MUCH OF THE GREEKS’
DISCOVERIES WERE LOST OR DISTORTED
- DURING THE 9TH AND 10TH CENTURIES THE VIKINGS
CONTINUED THE EXPLORATION OF THE NORTH ATLANTIC
- ARAB TRADERS WERE ALSO EXPLORING IN THE MIDDLE
AGES
- DURING THE RENAISSANCE EXPEDITIONS BY FIGURES
LIKE COLUMBUS AND FERDINAND MAGELLAN TOOK PLACE
- ENGLISH SEA CAPTAIN JAMES COOK WAS AMONG THE
FIRST TO MAKE SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATIONS AND INCLUDE
A FULL TIME NATURALIST ON HIS CREW
