The theme of this 1990 book is central to our understanding of the interaction between living organisms and their environments.

Part I. Introduction M. Whitfield; Part II. Physics of Light in the Sea: 1. The light field in the ocean: its modification and exploitation by the pelagic biota S. Sathyendranath and T. Platt; 2. Remote sensing - information from the colour of the seas I. S. Robinson; 3. Optical oceanography: an assessment of a towed method J. Aiken and I. E. Bellan; Part III. Photosynthesis and Development: 4. The photic zone P. Tett; 5. Light harvesting and pigment composition in marine phytoplankton and macroalgae M. J. Dring; 6. The response of picophytoplankton to light I. R. Joint; 7. Light and development: cellular and molecular aspects of photomorphogenesis and brown algae C. Brownlee; Part IV. Vision: 8. Light and vision at depths greater than 200 metres E. J. Denton; 9. Optics of the eyes of marine animals M. F. Land; 10. The colour sensitivity and vision of fishes J. C. Partridge; 11. Messengers of transduction and adaptation in vertebrate photoreceptors H. R. Matthews; 12. Photoreception in squid H. R. Saibil; Part V. Behaviour: 13. Herring behaviour in the light and dark J. H. S. Blaxter and R. S. Batty; 14. Crepuscular behaviour of marine fishes G. W. Potts; 15. Light and the capture of marine animals P. L. Pascoe; Part VI. Bioluminescence: 16. Bioluminescent communication in the sea P. J. Herring; 17. The chemistry of bioluminescence: origins and mechanism F. McCapra; 18. Living light: from the ocean to the hospital bed A. K. Campbell; Part VII. Summary and Perspectives; Part VIII. Bibliography; Part IX. Index.