This fifth edition covers the basics of marine biology and takes a global, non-regional perspective to emphasize that the world's oceans and seas are an integrated system that cannot be understood by looking in any one person's own backyard. For many students this is a new perspective. One aspect of this global approach is the deliberate inclusion of examples from many different regions and ecosystems so that as many students as possible, not just in North America but around the world, will find something relevant to their local areas or places they have visited. This introductory, one-semester text is designed for non-majors.