A food chain symbolizes the path of energy within an ecosystem: Primary producers such as green plants translate solar energy into carbohydrates, which are then tapped by primary and secondary consumers and ultimately recycled by decomposers. Each tier represents a different *trophic* level.
Marine biology. Marine biology is the scientific study of the plants, animals, and other organisms that live in the ocean. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies species based on the environment rather than on taxonomy.
Marine biologists study organisms that live in an ocean or sea environment. Much of their time is spent in the field collecting data about plant and animal species. This data is then analyzed in a lab or an office to advance the understanding of species and their environments. There are many areas of specialization in marine biology, ranging from animal behavior to marine biotechnology. Some marine biologists focus on a particular species or geographic region. Whatever their specialty, marine biologists must have knowledge in biology, chemistry, physics, geology, and ecology.