The Best Marine Life eBooks for Beginners

Marine Biology covers the basics of marine biology with a global approach, using examples from numerous regions and ecosystems worldwide. This introductory, one-semester text is designed for non-majors. Authors Castro and Huber have made a special effort to include solid basic science content needed in a general education course, including the fundamental principles of biology, the physical sciences, and the scientific method. This science coverage is integrated with a stimulating, up-to-date overview of marine biology.

The title says it all. Oceans are indeed incredible and find out why. Do not confuse this book with one that just lists facts, fun indeed, however this publication not only delivers fantastic facts about everything that is the oceans and the life it contains, but most importantly explanations on how these facts occur. We look at the oceans themselves, well one body of water surrounding the planet Earth, how that came to be, how they move, mind-blowing chemistry and currents. Then we start to look at the life and exactly what happens, quite simply, you won’t believe!

The plankton are studied, locomotion and migrations are followed, amazing feeding strategies unearthed, reproduction and life spans are uncovered, the marine housing shortage explained, relationships between species are digested, then we take a look at what’s going to kill you and how they do it. Lastly, we look at the human destruction of the ocean environment and sadly look at some frightening facts. This book is perfect for anyone who wants to know more about the life under the waves, amateur naturalists, conservationists, divers and snorkelers, and is often used as a steppingstone for those about embark in the next chapter of their life, as a student of marine biology. Find out how a barnacle feeds off humans. Just how much water is on earth. Which species eats their siblings whilst in the mother’s womb. Which was the deadliest shipwreck in history. Who was born 500 years ago and still alive today? These and countless more facts are explored and explained, to make you realise just how amazing our oceans really are. THE MARINE LIFE SERIES – 3 BOOKS BY ANDREW CAINE. MARINE BIOLOGY FOR THE NON-BIOLOGIST. THE BASIS OF LIFE IN THE OCEANS. SOFT-BODIED ANIMALS - THE CNIDARIANS: jellyfish, hydroids, anemones, soft corals, stony corals. SHELLFISH - THE MOLLUSCS: gastropods, mesogastropods, archeogastropods, neogastropods, nudibranchs (sea slugs) bivalves, cephalopods, squids, cuttlefish and octopi. ANIMALS WITH EXOSKELETONS - THE CRUSTACEANS: decapods, crabs, lobsters and shrimps, barnacles. ANIMALS WITH SPINY SKINS - THE ECHINODERMS: starfish, brittle stars, urchins, sea cucumbers. CORAL REEF ARCHITECTURE: how they are made. MARINE INVERTEBRATE TOXINS: the deadly seaweed of Hana, shellfish poisoning. Ciguatera, cone shells, sea snakes, venomous fish. HYDROTHERMAL VENTS AND VENT BIOLOGY: the discovery, the physical environment, vent biology. MARINE ECOLOGY FOR THE NON-ECOLOGIST. ECOLOGY – THE BASIC FACTS: The physical and biological environments, food chains, webs and energy flow. Random 1 – The immortal Jellyfish. THE PHYSICAL ASPECTS THAT SHAPE THE COASTAL ENVIRONMENT: Water movement, waves, tides and currents, temperature, salinity. Random 2 – The Blue Dragon. THE ROCKY SHORE: The physical environment, high and low energy areas, zonation, the algae, the animals, behaviour, mini habitats. Random 3 – Samantha the Serpent Star. THE MUD AND THE SAND: The shape of the shore, grain size, the sediments, sea grass, the animals. Random 4 – The Empty Sea. WHERE RIVERS MEET THE SEA: Types of estuary, the saltwater - freshwater mix, shapes of estuaries, the animals, algae and plants. Random 5 – SAR 11, the most abundant life form in the sea. THE SALTMARSH AND MANGROVES: Establishment, zonation, productivity, the animals’ algae and plants. Random 6 – Bernadette the Deadly Yellow Boxfish. CORAL REEFS: Distribution and limiting factors, the three reefs, formation of a coral reef, zonation, animals, algae. Random 7 – Sid the Sponge.

Walking along the beach and picking up seashells is a favorite pastime enjoyed by millions of people every year. This field guide covers three hundred of the better-known or more common seashells found on Texas coastlines, and anyone interested in identifying and collecting shells along Texas bays and Gulf coast beaches will find Texas Seashells an essential companion. With more than 600 detailed and data-rich color photographs, each species with at least two views, Texas Seashells is sure to make shell identification fun, quick, and easy.

Those new to collecting can get started with the introductory chapters on building your shell collection, local laws and regulations protecting this resource, seashell clubs, adopting a “Sheller’s Creed,” and basic seashell taxonomy. A glossary is also included for technical terms not defined in the text. Although this field guide is for seashells found along the Texas coast, it will also be useful in other regions of the Gulf of Mexico and  western Atlantic Ocean.