Variegated Indian corn, whose color is controlled by genes within anthocyanin molecules.

Most of the water on our planet is in the oceans that cover 71 percent of Earth's surface. Less than 1 percent of all the water is considered freshwater, and most of that is frozen in the polar ice caps. The study of freshwater aquatic ecosystems, limnology, has often been separated from the study of marine systems, oceanography. Although freshwater and marine ecosystems are extremely diverse in structure, all of the plants and animals must live in or on water. The physical constraints and opportunities for life in water, and how all of these living organisms interact with each other in a liquid medium, give a unifying theme to aquatic studies.

The Influence of Water

Water is a liquid and has a greater density and viscosity than air. It can absorb a large amount of solar...