In the simplest of terms, once the species have been enumerated and identified, the relationships and inter-relationships of the species and dependencies of plants and animals between and amongst themselves becomes the field of ecology. It is concerned with entire communities and the dynamic ways in which they interrelate. One aspect of ecology that has grown into its own is that of the behaviour of animals, including how and why they communicate with each other. At present a career in the marine sciences involves in one way or another a commitment to some form of research. Research can be taken as the quest for previously unrecorded knowledge by asking questions and recording the answers in some permanent form.
Basic research is at the foundation of all sciences, all medicine, and all technology.
With respect to the world's oceans, only a small fraction of what is there is known today. Basic research is mostly conducted in universities, museums and government institutions, and to a lesser extent in private and industrial laboratories. The results of basic research are traditionally made available, free of charge to all, through publication in scientific journals. Basic research is supported financially almost entirely by governments, and in some instances by private philanthropy. Research positions are scarce, because basic research is relatively poorly funded.