Marine and Aquatic Biology dates all the way back to 1200 B.C. It came about when the Phoenicians began doing ocean voyages and would study the animals in the ocean as they traveled. Marine Biology: is the study of water inhabiting organisms, their behaviors, and their interactions with the environment. Aquatic Biology: is the similar to marine biology but differs because it is the study of life in fresh water. The first intelligent record of aquatic life was by Aristotle in BC. He was the first to identify the different types of sea life such as crustaceans, mammals, and fish. Due to the fact that he was the first to record such findings many regard him as “The Father of Marine Biology”.

Plants have over the years adapted to living in both salt and fresh bodies of water. Most common plants found under water include: Underwater plants are the back bone of the aquatic life cycle because they provide food and shelter to all types of underwater animals. Although we may think that plants cannot survive at extreme depths underwater there are a few that over the years have adapted to survive. Sea weed is found 688ft deep because it begins photosynthesis with the help of blue light, a type of sunlight.

Crustacean: an aquatic arthropod that is normally covered by a hard shell. Some familiar examples of crustaceans are: As the creatures grow, their hard shells are discarded and they grow new shells to better fit themselves. During the period where they have a “soft shell” as a means of protection many lobsters or crabs will use the force of their claws hitting and object to disarm their enemy's. The pressure of striking the object releases a tiny sonic boom that temporarily stuns their attacker.

Fish are a common part of the underwater ecosystem; and even though we associate mammals (warm blooded animals that give birth to live young and have mammary glands) with land they too are a part of marine life. A few well known ones are: Aristotle was the first to recognize that whales are in fact mammals based on the fact that they nurse their young and also breathe air. Back in his time other Greeks believed that killing a dolphin or a whale was as bad a killing a human. Some marine mammals (such as dolphins) can swim between 35-64mph! It is believed they evolved from their land walking ancestors and their bodies adapted to the water over time.

Light cannot penetrate past 3,000 feet deep in the ocean which leaves many underwater life forms in complete darkness. To adapt to these darker conditions, many creatures have become bio-luminescent (production or emission of light by a living organism) and have learned to find food in the pitch black. The reason behind the terrifying look of these deep sea life forms is because they have had to adapt to not only darkness but scarcity of food and cold temperatures resulting in their deformed looks.

The production of food relies mainly on the water that sustains the crops. Due to this, there have developed many different ways to irrigate the crops that support Americans economically and feed them as well. There is sprinkle irrigation: the watering of crops through a series of sprinklers. This type of irrigation is very efficient for small plots of land where rain is scarce or seasonal. These systems are flexible for all types of landscapes and in recent developments have been modified to be significantly more efficient in watering plots of land making it environmentally friendly. Another system is drip irrigation: a method of watering crops using tubes that release water through small holes directly to a plants root system. The farmers who prefer this system use it because it promises strong roots and produces more food.

Farmers pay special attention to maintaining a healthy water table- the level below ground that is saturated with water. Making sure their plants are not over watered causing loose roots or under watered where they die. Famers also tap into aquifers- a body rock or sediments that holds large amounts of water; as another means of providing water for their crops.

A large amount of water is needed to support life in cities because of the high population. Water is distributed using a municipal water system- a system that supplies water for a cities residential, commercial, parkland, schools, and fire fighting needs. Water consumption differs from city to city all depending on location and density of the population. A person in Boston will in one day averagely consume 41 gallons of water while in Fresno California the daily average for one person is 211 gallons of water! The difference in climate requires residents to water their lawns more and also drink more water.

Due to population growth over the past couple of decades water has become a less expendable resource. With more people consuming water a bigger stress has been put on preserving and using less water. Researchers have been stressing the scarcity (-low amount of a high demand product) of water and urging people to conserve it more.

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How many people in the world live without clean drinking water?