Peter Castro,
California State Polytechnic University Michael E. Huber,
Global Coastal Strategies
ISBN: 0072852909 Copyright year: 2003
Preface
People around the world are fascinated and inspired by marine life. With the global trend of migration to the coast, the growth of such pastimes as scuba diving, recreational fishing, and aquarium keeping, and the increasing accessability of travel to exotic seaside destinations, more people than ever before are able to experience firsthand the sea’s beauty, mystery, and excitement. Even those not lucky enough to do so can learn about the life of the ocean not only through the many
excellent film and television documentaries and photo essays that are available, but more and more over the Internet, where one can now follow the day-by-day progress of research expeditions, listen to whale songs, or view underwater scenes in real time. Partly as a result of this, awareness of human impacts on the oceans and of the importance of the oceans to our affairs continues to grow. This interest in the oceans is reflected in the continuing popularity of marine biology and related subjects in high schools, colleges and universities, and adult education programs.
While keeping in mind the range of potential users of this text, we have written it primarily for lower-division, non-science majors at colleges and universities. These students may enroll in marine biology not only out of personal interest in the subject, but also to fulfill a general science requirement. Many will take no other college science course. We have made a special effort to include the solid basic science content needed in a general education course, including fundamental principles of biology, the physical sciences, and the scientific method. Our general aim was to integrate this basic science content with a stimulating, up-to-date overview of marine biology. We hope this approach demonstrates the relevance of the physical sciences to biology and makes the study of all sciences less intimidating.
At the same time, we recognize that general science content will not be needed in all marine biology courses, either because the course is not intended to satisfy general education requirements or because students already have some scientific background. To balance the needs of instructors teaching courses with and without prerequisites in basic biology or other sciences, we have designed the book to provide as much flexibility as possible in the amount of basic science coverage, the order in which topics are presented, and in overall emphasis and approach. We have tried to meet the needs and expectations of a wide variety of students, from the humanities major who likes to go fishing to the biology major considering a career in marine science. We also hope that a variety of readers other than university students find the book useful and enjoyable.
Another feature of Marine Biology, fourth edition, is its global, non-regional perspective. That the world’s oceans and seas function as a vast integrated system is among the most important messages of our book. For many students this is a new perspective. One aspect of our global approach is the deliberate inclusion of examples from many different regions and ecosystems so that as many students as possible will find something relevant to their local areas or places they have visited. We hope this will stimulate them to think about the many relationships between their own shores and the one world ocean that so greatly influences our lives.
ORGANIZATION
Marine Biology is organized into four parts. Part 1 (Chapters 1 through 3) introduces students to marine biology and related fields of science. Chapter 1 describes the history of marine biology. It also covers the fundamentals of the scientific method, which are essential in understanding the workings of science. This feature presents science as a process, an ongoing human endeavor. We believe it is important for students to realize that science does have limitations and that there is still much to be learned. Chapters 2 and 3 present basic material in marine geology, physics, and chemistry. Marine Biology includes more information on these subjects than other texts, but we kept Chapters 2 and 3 as short as possible. Wherever possible, physical and chemical aspects of marine environment are discussed in the chapters where they are most relevant to the biology. Wave refraction, for example, is covered in conjunction with intertidal communities (Chapter 11), estuarine circulation is discussed as part of the ecology of estuaries (Chapter 12), and upwelling is covered with the epipelagic zone (Chapter 15). This approach provides the general science coverage that some instructors need, but allows those who don’t to use these chapters for background reference. It also emphasizes the importance of the physical and chemical environment to the organisms of the sea. Like the rest of the book, Chapters 2 and 3 include original world maps that were drawn using the Robinson projection to minimize distortion.
The exciting nature of life in the sea is the subject of Part 2 (Chapters 4 through 9). Chapter 4, “Some Basics of Biology,” is a brief introduction to basic biology aimed at students with a limited background in biology. As with the fundamentals of geological, physical, and chemical oceanography, basic biological concepts are reviewed throughout the book in “In-text Glossary.” Because the most important material is reviewed in these boxes, Chapter 4 may be omitted if students have an adequate background in basic biology. Chapters 5 through 9 survey the major groups of marine organisms from the perspective of organismal biology. As in the first part of the book, we provide introductory information that is reviewed and expanded upon in future chapters. In discussing the various groups of organisms, we emphasize functional morphology, outstanding ecological and physiological adaptations, and economic importance or significance to humanity. Classification and phylogeny are not stressed, although a general classification scheme is presented in graphical form at the beginning of each chapter. Here and throughout the book we selected organisms from around the world for illustration in photographs, line drawings, and color paintings, but organisms from the coasts of North America are emphasized. Organisms are referred to by their most widely accepted common names; one or two common or important genera are noted in parentheses the first time a group is mentioned in a chapter, but we have not attempted to be comprehensive in listing genera. Indeed, at the suggestion of reviewers we have reduced the number of genera that are listed to make the text easier to read. Nomenclature follows for the most part the FAO Species Catalog and Species Identification Guides for groups covered by these references.
The third and most extensive part (Chapters 10 through 16) constitutes the heart of the book. The first chapter of this section (Chapter 10) introduces some fundamental principles of ecology. As in Chapter 4, important concepts presented here are reviewed elsewhere in the In-text Glossary boxes. In the remaining six chapters of Part 3, we describe the major environments of the world ocean, proceeding from nearshore to offshore and from shallow to deep water. This sequence is admittedly arbitrary but conforms to the teaching sequence followed by the greatest number of our reviewers. The chapters, however, are designed so that they can be covered in any sequence according to instructors’ preferences and needs. The basic themes are adaptation to the physical constraints of the environment and the interaction of organisms within the environment. Most chapters include generalized food webs that follow a standardized scheme of color coding to indicate the nature of the trophic relationships.
The final part of the book looks at the many ways that humans interact with the world ocean: the use of resources, our impact on the marine environment, and the influence of the ocean on culture and the human experience. These chapters present an up-to-date, comprehensive view of issues and concerns shared by many students. The chapter on resource utilization (Chapter 17) looks not only at traditional uses such as fisheries and mariculture, but also at more modern
aspects such as the pharmacological use of marine natural products and the application of genetic engineering to mariculture. In Chapter 18, a discussion of human-induced degradation of the marine environment is balanced by an examination of the conservation and enhancement of the marine environment. The book closes with an essay on the impact of the ocean on human affairs (Chapter 19) that we hope will stimulate students to reflect on the past and future significance of the world ocean.
TEACHING AND LEARNING AIDS
Because courses vary in content and sequence, Marine Biology was designed to be a flexible and efficient teaching aid. Chapters are written as short, readily absorbed units to increase instructors’ flexibility in selecting topics. It is not assumed that instructors will follow the order in which material is presented in the book. For this reason, we provide an In-text Glossary that briefly explains key terms and concepts from other chapters. Some are illustrated by line drawings. Each box refers to the chapter and page where the concept is explained if more detailed information is needed. We hope this feature reduces the distraction of searching the index for unfamiliar terms.
Key concept summaries, printed in italics, highlight the most important terms and ideas presented in preceding paragraphs. The text is accompanied by a superb collection of photographs and illustrations that were carefully designed and selected to complement and reinforce the text. Some of their captions contain questions that seek to further stimulate the student. There are many maps specifically created for Marine Biology to our specifications. The extensive Glossary provides complete definitions, and often refers to illustrations in the text or other key terms in the glossary that help explain a concept.
All chapters contain short Boxed Essays that present interesting supplementary information—material as varied as experimental setups, John Steinbeck, intelligence in dolphins, and marine archaeology.
Each chapter concludes with material to promote students’ Interactive Exploration of topics covered in the chapter. This material is specifically designed to be used in conjunction with the book’s Online Learning Center. Several Critical Thinking questions are posed at the end of each chapter to challenge students and stimulate class discussion. Many of these have no “right” answer—that is often the point. A brief annotated list of recent readings, For Further Reading, is provided for students who want to learn more. As in previous editions the list includes richly illustrated General Interest articles in publications such as Scientific American, Discover, and National Geographic that are appropriate for students with limited backgrounds in science. For the first time, a list of In Depth readings is also provided as a starting point for students who want to study particular topics in detail. An icon indicates articles that can be freely accessed online, and links to the articles are provided within the Marine Biology Online Learning Center. Students can use the online Do-It-Yourself Summary, Key Terms flashcards, and Quiz Yourself resources to review the chapter and test their understanding. The Online Learning Center also provides links to web sites related to each chapter. For most chapters the Online Learning Center also provides short video clips showing interesting habitats and animal behaviors.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The many contributors of photographs that add so much to the book are acknowledged in the credits section, but we extend special thanks to A. Charles Arneson, who provided many excellent photos. We are also grateful for the outstanding artwork of Bill Ober and Claire Garrison. LouAnn Wilson has been a great help in locating new photographs for this edition.
We also thank the exceptional staff at McGraw-Hill Publishers, particularly Marge Kemp, Publisher, Donna Nemmers, Senior Developmental Editor, and Rose Koos, Project Manager, for their patience in dealing with us while we worked in our separate corners of the world, and for their efficiency in managing an enormous amount of detail.
Finally, we thank the students, friends, colleagues, former teachers, and reviewers who answered questions, pointed out errors, and made suggestions that have greatly improved the book. We take full credit, however, for any errors or shortcomings that remain.
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2003 McGraw-Hill Higher Education