Transcript Lecture 1
MARE 171
Marine Biology: Diversity
Dr. Turner
Fall 2014
Science and Marine Biology
Ocean and Marine Organisms
- Ocean covers over 70% of the earth
- Affects global weather patterns
- Provides food and vital resources
Science and Marine Biology
Productivity – the amount of food produced
by marine organisms and the number of
organisms the ocean can support
Leading area of research in marine ecology
Over 80 million metric tons of marine fish and
shellfish harvested annually
Science and Marine Biology
Study of the Sea
Oceanography: the study of the oceans
and their phenomena
Marine Biology: the study of organisms
and their reactions with each other and their
environment
Science and Marine Biology
Marine
Biology
Oceano
graphy
Marine
Science
Science and Marine Biology
Knowledge of Marine Biology:
- Helps us understand how marine
organisms relate to us
- Helps us understand how human
activities affect the marine environment
- Helps conscientious citizens make
prudent decisions that involve the sea
Science and Marine Biology
History of Changing Perspectives
- science has advanced over the years as
new technologies have been developed
- Initial studies of marine organisms can be
traced back to the ancient Greeks and
Romans
Science and Marine Biology
History of Changing Perspectives
- Aristotle – first to develop scheme of
classification; “Ladder of life”
- Pliny the Elder
– Roman naturalist;
works in Natural History
Science and Marine Biology
History of Changing Perspectives
- modern sciences of oceanography and
marine biology continued in 18th and 19th
century: Jean-Baptiste Lemark, Georges
Cuvier, Charles Darwin
Science and Marine Biology
History of Changing Perspectives
- HMS Beagle 1831 – Charles Darwin;
observations of atolls
- 1859 – On the Origin of the Species
by Means of Natural Selection
Science and Marine Biology
History of Changing Perspectives
- modern sciences of oceanography and
marine biology originated with the
Challenger expedition in the 19th century
- 1876 – 4,700 new species collected
- Plankton – term for organisms that
drift in ocean current, coined in 1887
Science and Marine Biology
History of Changing Perspectives
- First marine laboratory in US was founded
by Louis Agassiz in 1873; purpose of helping
teachers improve their teaching methods
Science and Marine Biology
History of Changing Perspectives
- In early 20th century, expeditions were
mounted to study the Arctic and Antarctic
seas and their inhabitants
- Marine laboratories play a vital role in both
marine and basic biological research
Science and Marine Biology
Process of Science
- Inductive Reasoning: involves looking at
individual observations and proposing a
general explanation for them; octopus and squid
are observed with suckers so a cephalopods have suckers
Science and Marine Biology
Process of Science
- Deductive Reasoning: is the process of
reasoning whereby observations suggest a
general principle from which a specific
statement can be derived; cephalopods have
suckers, a cuttlefish is a cephalopods, therefore, cuttlefish
have suckers
Science and Marine Biology
Process of Science
Scientific Method – orderly pattern of
gathering and analyzing information
Step 1: - Making observations
Good researchers are good observers as well
as creative thinkers
Science and Marine Biology
Process of Science
Step 2: Using inductive reasoning to form
a hypothesis
Hypotheses are formed after a researcher
notices patterns or relationships and makes
an educated guess as to the probable answer
Science and Marine Biology
Process of Science
Step 3: Using deductive reasoning to
design experiments
Deductive reasoning – observations suggest
a principle from which a specific statements
can be derived
- used to design experiments and test
hypotheses
Science and Marine Biology
Process of Science
Hypotheses are tested with experiments
Well designed experiments test only one
variable at a time - called the Experimental
Variable – factor that is altered in an
experiment
Two trials are run – each with a different
variable
Experimental set – has experimental variable
Control set –without experimental variable
Science and Marine Biology
Process of Science
Steps 4 & 5: Gathering results and
drawing conclusions
Conclusions drawn from experiments lead
scientists to either accept or reject their
hypotheses
Science and Marine Biology
Science and Marine Biology
Process of Science
There are times when controlled experiments
are not possible or feasible
Observational science involves observing
and describing and possibly theorizing; but
not testing
Theory – is a body of observations that have
stood the test of time
Science and Marine Biology
Key Concepts:
Ocean and Marine Organisms
- Productivity
Study of the Sea
- Oceanography, Marine Biology
History of Changing Perspectives
- Aristotle, Lemark, Cuvier, Darwin, Beagle,
Challenger, Agassiz, Marine Labs
Science and Marine Biology
Key Concepts:
Process of Science
- Inductive & Deductive reasoning,
Scientific method, Observational Science,
Theory