General Information
I. Basics
A. Zoology is the study of the entire animal kingdom (zo- {New
Latin} = animal; -ology = study of, knowledge)
B. Zoology is a subset of biology
C. One of the broadest fields in all of science
20,000 known species of bony fishes
300,000 known species of beetles
II. The Commonality of Living Things
A. All are composed of cells (animals are multicellular,
heterotrophic organisms)
1. Cell Theory is a basic tenet of biology. The cell
theory states that:
a) all living things are composed of cells
b) the cell is the fundamental unit of life
c) all cells in our modern atmosphere and conditions
must come from pre-existing cells (“omni cellula a
cellula” ….Virchow)
B. Genetic Unity
1. All organisms contain heredity information in the same
molecule, a nucleic acid called DNA
2. The DNA of living organisms is remarkably similar. The
more closely related two organisms are to each other, the
more similar is their DNA
3. The DNA is not only the reason of the genetic continuity
of organisms, but it is also the source of genetic and physical
diversity through the process of mutation
C. Organisms share a common genetic history – it is termed the
evolution of the species
1. Evolution is the unifying theory of biology
2. Evidences for evolution:
a) diversity of living and extinct species (currently it is
estimated that there is anywhere between 4 to 30 million
different species existing today; millions of other species
have gone extinct since life began)
b) Fossil record…study of paleontology
c) Comparative embryology (“ontogeny recapitulates
phylogeny”) – the embryonic development of an organism
mirrors somewhat its evolutionary history
d) Study of DNA and its relatedness between species
e) Molecular biology and the study of proteins in organisms
f) Biogeography – the study of the distribution of plants,
animals, and fossils throughout the world (Nearctic, Neotropical,
Palearctic, Oriental, Australian, Ethiopian)
g) Comparative Anatomy
1) homologous structures – structures that are alike
anatomically, but function differently
2) analogous structures – structures that have different
developmental and anatomical origins, but function similarly
(convergent evolution)
3) vestigial structures – anatomical structures that were useful
during some time in the species history, but no longer are
functional
D. Organisms share same environmental pressures
1. Organisms must adapt to existing surrounding conditions or
face extinction
2. Ecological problems
a)
Pollution of air and water sources
b)
Human overpopulation
c)
Loss of habitat
d)
Global warming issues from human activities
e)
Over fishing and over hunting
f)
Use of non-renewable fuels (oil, coal, petroleum)
g)
Decline of rainforests
III. Components of Zoology
A. Specialties or sub-disciplines
1.
Study of fish – ichthyology
2.
Study of birds – ornithology
3.
Study of insects – entomology
4.
Study of reptiles and amphibians – herpetology
5.
Study of mammals – mammalogy
6.
Study of mollusks – malacology
7.
Study of spiders – arachnology
8.
Study of one-celled animals –protozoology
9.
Study of parasites – parasitology
B. Classification scheme (Dashing King Phillip Came Over For
Good soup)
1. Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus
(Genera plural), species
2. Binomial nomenclature – two name system given to all
organisms : Genus species
3. Genus name is always capitalized and either underlined or
italicized
4. Species names are always lower case and either underlined
or italicized
Procyon lotor
or
C. Scientific Method – way of discovery
Procyon lotor
Terms to Know
• Symmetry
Planes through which a body can be cut and have
mirror images.
– Asymmetry
• No Symmetry
– Radial
• Multiple Planes
– Bilateral
• 1 plane (midsagital plane)
Terms to Know
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Dorsal -Back
Ventral -Belly
Anterior -Head
Posterior -Anus
Proximal –Closer to midline
Distal –Further from midlin
Transverse –Cross section
Segment –Unit of the body that is repeated
Hydrostatic skeleton –fluid filled structure that resists
compression and allows flexing
• Coelom –fulid filled cavity within a body of an organism