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.

Explore the foundational principles of zoology and their application in the scientific study of animal life. Understand how these principles are derived from the laws of physics and chemistry, and how they contribute to our understanding of the common evolutionary origins of life.