Principles of Zoology

Branches of Zoology

• The study of the relationships of animals to their environment is called ecology.
• Embryology is the study of the development and growth of a new individual within the egg or within the mother.
• Morphology is the study of animal form as a whole.
• Physiology is the study of the living processes and functions of parts of the animal body.
• Genetics is the study of the laws of heredity and variation.
• Paleontology is the study of fossil animals and their distribution in time.

Notable Zoologists

• Aristotle wrote 'The History of Animals' and included miscellany on the structure and habits of animals native to Greece, Macedonia, and Asia Minor.
• Carolus Linnaeus established the universal system of classification and nomenclature in the field of Zoology.
• Matthias Jakob Schleiden and Theodor Schwann formulated the cell theory, which states that all living things are made up of cells and their cell products.
• Charles Darwin established the theory of evolution based on natural selection.
• Gregor Johann Mendel is referred to as the father of Genetics due to formulating the laws of genetics known as Mendelian Laws.
• Pliny the Elder wrote 'Natural History', an encyclopedia mostly dealing with plants and animals.

Other

• Claude Bernard was the first experimental physiologist and performed many experiments to study the functions of nerves and blood vessels.
• Herpetology is the study of reptiles and amphibians.
• Malacology is the study of shells.