Ocean Life Institute Adding a New Dimension to Questions of Biodiversity and Ecology   E-mail     Print     PDF

	A right whale, with its trademark callosities or horny bumps on its head, surfaces from a dive. WHOI researchers have been studying marine mammals since the 1940s. (Photo by Regina Campbell-Malone, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

“WHOI science does so much to identify global problems and address research topics that can point to solutions. It deserves all the support we can give.”
REUBEN RICHARDS
Trustee

The ocean is the largest habitat in our world. It is home to more than 80 percent of all known species and exhibits the greatest diversity of major animal, plant, and microbial groups on Earth. Many forms of ocean life originate and develop in ways radically different from land-based species. A major resource base, the oceans supply 20 percent of the world’s protein.

The Ocean Life Institute supports studies of the biology and ecology of this incredibly diverse, vital environment to answer such fundamental scientific questions as how life evolved, how species are adapted to their environment, and how organisms participate in the flow of energy and resources through ocean habitats. The findings of OLI scientists can also serve larger societal issues, providing unbiased information on which to base policy decisions regarding ocean resource management and conservation. An important part of this responsibility is communicating with the public and facilitating discussions about ocean life questions. OLI sponsors education and outreach initiatives, such as a forum about the North Atlantic right whale—with offerings for both scientists and the general public—and a deep-sea fisheries symposium bringing together a wide spectrum of stakeholders.

To conduct their investigations, OLI staff foster the development of new technologies and approaches for studying biological processes and marine organisms. OLI innovations include new methods of whale tagging, identification of phytoplankton cells that form the base of the food chain, and fisheries population analysis.

» Visit the Ocean Life Institute website to learn more