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| ► Title→ |
Marine
Biology:
A Very Short Introduction |
| ►
Author [s]→ |
Philip
V. Mladenov |
► Publisher &
Year: |
OUP Oxford / 2020 |
► Pages:
تعداد صفحات |
224 |
| ► ISBN→ |
9780192578792 |
| ► Description: |
The
oceans are our planet's most distinctive and
imposing natural habitat. They cover 71 per
cent of its surface; support a remarkably
diverse and exquisitely adapted array of
life forms, from microscopic viruses,
bacteria, and plankton to the largest
existing animals; and possess many of
Earth's most significant, intriguing, and
inaccessible ecosystems. In an era in which
humans are significantly altering the global
environment, the oceans are undergoing rapid
and profound changes.
The study of marine biology is thus taking
on added importance and urgency as people
struggle to understand and manage these
changes to protect our marine ecosystems.
Healthy oceans produce half of the oxygen we
breathe; stabilize our climate; create
ecosystems that protect our coasts from
storms; provide us with abundant food; and
host diverse organisms that provide us with
natural products for medicine and
biotechnology.
In this Very Short Introduction, marine
biologist Philip Mladenov provides an
accessible and up-to-date overview of marine
biology, offering a tour of marine life and
marine processes that ranges from the
unimaginably abundant microscopic organisms
that drive the oceans' food web to the apex
predators that we exploit for food; from
polar ocean ecosystems to tropical coral
reefs; and from the luxurious kelp beds of
the coastal ocean to deep-ocean hydrothermal
vents where life exists without the energy
of the sun. Throughout the book he considers
the human impacts on marine life including
overfishing, plastic and nutrient pollution,
the spread of exotic species, and ocean
warming and acidification.
He discusses the threats these pose to our
welfare, and the actions required to put us
on a path to a more sustainable relationship
with our oceans so that they can be restored
and protected for future generations.
Mladenov concludes with a new chapter
offering an inspiring vision for the future
of our oceans in 2050 that can be realised
if we are wise enough to accelerate actions
already underway and be bold with
implementing new approaches.
The next decade will decide the state of the
oceans that we leave behind for future
generations. |
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