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)

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 Procyon lotorC. Scientific Method – way of discovery

Terms to Know

• SymmetryPlanes 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