Steinbeck too was influenced by Ricketts' view of nature, and in "Of Mice and Men" and his literary masterpiece "The Grapes of Wrath," he creates a giant interconnected world, where characters struggle to make a life for themselves against the backdrop of upheaval and ecological disaster. As in the tide pool, every action provokes a response that ripples through water, as it does through time.
More than 70 years ago, Steinbeck and Ricketts observed the Pacific coast and saw the interconnectedness of nature - and how people fit into the equation. In the years since, the rest of the world has been playing catch-up.
Save the ocean to save the fish
The complex, interactive nature of ecosystems goes beyond tide pools - it can be found wherever life exists, in rainforests, tundra, deserts and oceans.
For example, take Indonesia's Raja Ampat archipelago, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, home to the most diverse coral reefs in the world. Conservation organizations, including Conservation International (CI), often draw attention to sharks and manta rays - keystone species that hold tremendous economic value for tourism - but in order to give these species a chance at long-term survival, we understand we must protect their whole habitat, including the reefs that shelter fish that will one day be shark food.