About Marine Ecology

Marine Ecology is the science that deals with the basic structural and functional relationships within and among living populations and their physical and chemical environments in marine ecosystem. An ecosystem is a group of living organisms in conjunction with the non living components of their environment.

Marine ecosystems are home to a host of different species ranging from planktonic organisms that form the base of the marine food web to large marine mammals. Many species rely on marine ecosystems for both food and shelter from predators. They are very important to the overall health of both marine and terrestrial environments.

Despite the importance of marine ecosystems, increased human activities have caused significant damage or are serious threats to the marine biodiversity. These activities can be overfishing, pollution, introduction of exotic species or coastal development. For this reason, conservation plans are necessary to save the marine ecosystems from being lost.