Marine Life 



Fundamental research on marine life processes are supported by 

 NSF. For example, one study with important implications for deep 

 ocean waste disposal is examining whether bacterial growth in the 

 deep sea is retarded by high pressure, cold temperature conditions, 

 or the scarcity of organic matter in the seawater. Data from these 

 studies indicate that microbial degradation of deep ocean organic 

 matter was 10 to 1,000 times slower than in the controls. 

 Furthermore, response of deep sea populations is similar to that of 

 surfacewater populations when incubated in the deep sea or in the 

 laboratory at normal pressure and comparable temperature. 



Many specimens of marine life contain physical similarities to the 

 human organisrn and thus are a most valuable resource in biomedical 

 research. Through research on marine organisms, scientists are able 

 to develop new ways to treat diseases. The National Institutes of 

 Health (NIH) have supported research on the giant nerve fibers of 

 the squid because these nerve fibers are much larger in diameter than 

 those of many other marine animals and may be readily dissected 

 from the animal and maintained alive in an isolated state for many 

 hours. The use of the squid giant axon has permitted many kinds of 

 electrophysiological and biochemical experiments that simply could 

 not be done on smaller nerve fibers and has yielded a large body of 

 information on how nerve impulses are generated and how they 

 travel down the nerve. 



Similarly, the retinas of some varieties of marine fishes have large 

 nerve cells. They are also easily removed from the animal and remain 

 alive and functional for many hours in suitable media. In particular, 

 the isolated retina of the dogfish and of the skate are especially 

 suitable for studies of nerve message transmission from one nerve 

 cell to another. 



Scientists at the National Museum of Natural History, 

 Smithsonian Institution, carried out many diverse studies on the 

 systematics and ecology of marine life. Off the British Honduras 

 coast, Smithsonian scientists continued their investigations of a 

 marine shallow water ecosystem, concentrating on the systematics 

 and ecology of the organisms on a barrier coral reef. The Panama 

 Biota Program has completed extensive baseline collections that will 

 provide a foundation for further specialized research on shallow 

 water marine biota from both sides of the Isthmus of Panama. At the 

 Chesapeake Bay Center for Environmental Studies, the Smithsonian 

 is coordinating a systems ecology study of the Rhode River 

 watershed and estuary performed by scientists from the 

 Smithsonian and other members of the Chesapeake Research 

 Consortium. 



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