Zoology

• Arachnology is a branch of zoology that deals with the study of spiders and related species known as arachnids (such as scorpions, harvestmen, etc)
• Bionics is the study of mechanical systems that function like living organisms or parts of living organisms
• Archaeozoology, also known as zooarchaeology, is the study of dead animals (faunal remains) that includes their bones, shells, and other body parts
• Cetology is a branch of zoology that deals with the study of marine mammals that include whales, dolphins, porpoises, etc
• Coleopterology is a sub-branch of Entomology that concerns with the study of beetles
• Ethology is a branch of zoology that deals with animal behavior under their natural habitat and studying their behavior as an adaptive trait in evolution
• Helminthology is the study of parasitic worms (helminths) and deals with taxonomy of helminths and the effect on their hosts
• Histology is the study of microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of animals and plants
• Ichthyology is a branch of zoology that covers the study of fish
• Malacology is the study of Mollusca such as snails, slugs, octopus, clams, and other animals that live in water with shells
• Herpetology is the study of reptiles and amphibians
• Ophiology or Ophidiology is a sub-division of Herpetology which deals with the study of ophidians or snakes
• Mammalogy is the study of mammals and their characteristics, also known as Mastology, Theriology, or Therology
• Conchology is a sub-discipline of malacology that deals specifically with the study of mollusk shells
• Nematology is a sub-discipline of zoology that focuses on the study of roundworms (nematodes)
• Morphology, a branch of zoology, deals with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features
• Palaeozoology is a branch of zoology that studies fossil animals to identify multi-cellular animals from a geological perspective and establish prehistoric environments and ecosystems
• Ornithology is the branch of zoology that focuses on the study of birds
• Primatology is the study of living and extinct primates, including monkeys, apes, and prosimians
• Pathology involves the study of bodily fluids in the laboratory, such as blood, urine, or tissues, to diagnose diseases
• Protozoology is a branch of zoology that deals with the study of Protozoa
• Taxonomy is the study that defines groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics and gives names to those groups
• Zoogeography is the scientific study of the geographical distribution of animal species, both historic and contemporary, in the world
• Human Anatomy is the study of the structure of humans and their various parts, while Zootomy specifically refers to animal anatomy
• Zoometry is a sub-division of zoology that deals with the measurements of animal parts
• Systematics or Taxonomy is the study of the kinds and diversity of organisms and the evolutionary relationships among them
• Nomenclature involves assigning a distinctive name to each species based on the system of body facts and arrangement belonging to a name
• Carolus Linnaeus introduced binomial nomenclature, grouping different species into broader categories based on shared characteristics
• Any grouping of animals that shares a particular set of characteristics forms an assemblage called a taxon
• Historical figures in Zoology:

  • Aristotle made animal observations
  • In the 16th Century, many universities in Europe were founded, leading to the establishment of divisions focusing on animal research by the mid-17th Century
  • Carl Linnaeus is known as the father of modern taxonomy, devising systems for naming and grouping living organisms
  • Alfred Russel Wallace coined the term "mutation" and proposed a mutation theory of evolution, being one of the first geneticists
• Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection emerged in the 19th Century when microscopes became commonplace, allowing the study of animal cells at the microscopic level
• Characteristics of Life:

  • To be classified as a living thing, an object must have all six of the following characteristics:
  • It responds to the environment
  • It grows and develops
  • It produces offspring
  • It maintains homeostasis
  • It has complex chemistry
  • It consists of cells
• Dian Fossey was a prominent primatologist known for her work with endangered mountain gorillas
• Jane Goodall, a primatologist, observed chimpanzees in Africa, teaching humans about chimpanzees and human nature
• Hugo de Vries, a Dutch botanist, rediscovered Mendel's laws of heredity and coined the term "mutation"
• Organisms grow and develop following specific instructions coded for by their genes, ensuring that a species' young will exhibit many of the same characteristics as its parents
• Reproduction is the process of making the next generation and may be a sexual or an asexual process
• All living things, even the simplest life forms, have a complex chemistry consisting of large, complex molecules and undergo many complicated chemical changes to stay alive
• Metabolism is the accumulated total of all biochemical reactions occurring in a cell or organism, necessary to carry out all the functions of life
• To function properly, cells need appropriate conditions like proper temperature, pH, and chemical concentration, which organisms maintain through homeostasis, the ability to keep constant internal conditions despite environmental changes