🌊 Marine &amp; Environmental Biology

Oceans

Salt water covering about 71 percent of Earth, home to most of the planet's living space.

Ocean Zones

Sunlit, twilight and midnight zones differ in light, temperature and pressure and support different life.

Plankton

Drifting organisms: phytoplankton photosynthesise and zooplankton feed on them, forming the base of marine food webs.

Coral Reefs

Biodiverse ecosystems built by coral polyps living in partnership with symbiotic algae.

Mangroves

Salt-tolerant coastal trees that protect shorelines and nurse young fish.

Estuaries

Where rivers meet the sea, creating productive brackish habitats.

Whales and Dolphins

Marine mammals called cetaceans that breathe air and communicate using sound.

Sharks and Rays

Cartilaginous fishes with sensory adaptations, many of which are top predators.

Rocky Shore Zonation

Organisms live in bands from the splash zone to the low tide zone, depending on exposure and wave action.

Deep-Sea Life

Animals in the dark depths are adapted to cold, pressure and scarce food, often with bioluminescence.

Greenhouse Effect

Gases like carbon dioxide and methane trap heat in the atmosphere, warming the Earth.

Global Warming

The long-term rise in global average temperature caused mainly by human emission of greenhouse gases.

Pollution

Introduction of harmful substances into air, water or soil, such as plastics and chemicals.

Recycling and Waste

Reusing materials lowers resource use and pollution.

Renewable Energy

Sources like solar, wind and hydro that replenish naturally and cause less pollution.

Intermediate topics (17)

Ocean Acidification

Dissolved CO2 forms carbonic acid, lowering seawater pH and making it harder for shell builders to form calcium carbonate.

Coral Bleaching

Heat stress causes corals to expel their symbiotic algae, turning white and risking death.

Upwelling

Wind-driven rise of cold, nutrient-rich water that fuels some of the ocean's richest fisheries.

Marine Food Webs

Phytoplankton support zooplankton, fish and top predators, with energy lost at each level.

Thermohaline Circulation

A global ocean conveyor driven by differences in temperature and salinity that distributes heat.

Overfishing

Removing fish faster than populations can recover, leading to stock collapse.

Marine Protected Areas

Ocean zones with restrictions on fishing and development that let ecosystems recover.

Plastic Pollution

Plastics break into microplastics that are ingested by organisms and travel up food chains.

Oil Spills

Crude oil coats marine life and shorelines, with long-lasting ecological damage.

Water Quality Indicators

Dissolved oxygen, pH, turbidity and indicator species such as mayfly larvae show a water body's health.

Ozone Depletion

CFCs destroy stratospheric ozone, increasing harmful UV reaching the surface.

Acid Rain

Sulfur and nitrogen oxides make rain acidic, damaging forests, soils and lakes.

Deforestation

Clearing forests destroys habitats, releases carbon and disrupts water cycles.

Soil Ecology

Soil organisms such as worms, fungi and bacteria drive decomposition and nutrient availability.

Sustainable Agriculture

Practices such as crop rotation, reduced tillage and integrated pest management maintain long-term productivity.

Carbon Sequestration

Long-term storage of carbon in forests, soils, oceans or geological formations.

Climate Feedback Loops

Processes such as melting ice reducing reflectivity amplify or dampen warming.

Advanced topics (22)

Biological Pump

Sinking organic matter transports carbon from surface waters to the deep ocean.

Hydrothermal Vent Ecosystems

Communities fuelled by chemosynthetic bacteria thrive around seafloor vents without sunlight.

Marine Symbiosis

Partnerships such as giant tube worms with bacteria or cleaner fish with clients support ocean ecosystems.

Harmful Algal Blooms

Toxin-producing algae multiply in nutrient-rich water, poisoning shellfish and marine life.

Dead Zones

Oxygen-depleted ocean areas caused by nutrient runoff, fertiliser and decomposition of algal blooms.

Sea Level Rise

Thermal expansion and melting land ice raise oceans, threatening coastal habitats and communities.

Blue Carbon

Carbon stored in coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass.

Kelp Forest Ecology

Kelp communities depend on sea otters controlling urchin populations, an example of a trophic cascade.

Fisheries Management

Quotas, size limits and maximum sustainable yield models try to keep stocks productive.

Marine Genomics

Genome sequencing reveals adaptation to salinity, pressure and temperature in marine species.

Environmental Toxicology

Studies how pollutants, such as heavy metals and pesticides, harm organisms and ecosystems.

Ecological Restoration

Active repair of damaged ecosystems, from replanting wetlands to reseeding reefs.

Life Cycle Assessment

Evaluates the environmental impacts of a product from raw materials to disposal.

Climate Modelling in Ecology

Couples climate projections with ecological data to forecast shifts in species and ecosystems.

Planetary Boundaries

A framework of Earth-system limits, like biodiversity loss and nitrogen flow, within which humanity can thrive.

Permafrost and Methane

Thawing frozen soils release methane and carbon dioxide, accelerating warming.

Remote Sensing in Ecology

Satellites and drones monitor vegetation, ocean colour and habitat change at large scales.

Wetland Ecology

Wetlands filter water, store carbon, buffer floods and support rich biodiversity.

Marine Microplastics Biology

Tiny particles carry pollutants and microbes and are ingested at every trophic level.

Circular Bioeconomy

Using biological resources and waste in closed loops to reduce environmental footprints.

Ecosystem Tipping Points

Thresholds beyond which systems like the Amazon or coral reefs shift abruptly to a different state.

One Health

An approach linking human, animal and environmental health to tackle problems like zoonoses.