This chapter examines major patterns in marine organisms and their biology. Doing so gives a strong insight into the processes that determine success and evolution of life on Earth. The chapter shows how the wide expanse of the oceanscape changes dramatically, from undersea mountain ranges to sediment plains and coral reefs to forests of kelp. Patterns of organisms, so obvious at the shore, are also evident from the poles to the tropics, from coasts to ocean centres, from the shallows to the deep abyss, and from millions of years ago to the present day. Patterns occur in species richness, abundance, ancientness, or size, all of which are indicators of powerful changes on the planet surface over time and space. Oceans have widened or been compressed, risen and fallen, heated and cooled, and remain dynamic as a habitat for life.
