. . . "[This text] is used by high school, undergraduate, graduate, and adult education students, and by interested laypersons not enrolled in formal courses. [The text] introduces students to marine biology and related fields of science. [It] takes a close look at the diversity of marine organisms, [and] presents an ecological tour of the major environments of the world ocean. [It also] looks at the many ways in which humans interact with the world ocean: our use of and impact on the marine environment, and the influence of the ocean on culture and the human experience. -Pref." . . "[The authors have written this book] primarily for lower-division, non-science majors at colleges and universities. [They] 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. [Their] general aim was to integrate this basic science content with [an] overview of marine biology. [One] feature of [this book] 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 [this] book.-Pref." . . . "[This text] is organized into four parts. Part 1 ... introduces students to marine biology and the basic sciences that underpin it.... Part 2 ... surveys the diversity of marine life from the perspective of organismal biology.... Part 3 ... presents an ecological tour of the major environments of the world ocean, commencing with an introduction to some fundamental principles of marine ecology ... Finally, Part 4 looks at the many ways in which humans interact with the world ocean: our use of and impact on the human experience. The section presents an up-to-date, comprehensive view of issues and concerns shared by many students.... The book closes with an essay on the interactions between the ocean and the human culture ... that we hope will stimulate students to reflect on the past and future significance of the world ocean to all our lives. -Pref." . "Marine biology" . . . . "[This book] was written to reinforce and enhance [the] readers' enchantment with marine life while providing a rigorous introduction to the science of marine biology. [It] is used by high school, undergraduate, graduate, and adult education students, and by interested laypersons not enrolled in formal courses. -Pref." . . . .