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. WHAT IS BIOLOGY?

Biology is the study of life!

Living things are called organisms

and include bacteria, protists,
fungi, plants, & animals

How do you tell if something is

living?

Characteristics of Life

1. ALL ORGANISMS ARE MADE

OF CELLS.
Cells are the smallest living unit of
an organism
Simplest cells are called Prokaryotes
Complex cells are called Eukaryotes

2. ALL LIVING ORGANISMS

REQUIRE A
FOOD SOURCE
FOR ENERGY.
Autotrophs
can make
their own food
(aka producers)

Heterotrophs can NOT make their

own food (aka consumers)

Many chemical reactions are

involved in acquiring energy

Metabolism
the sum total of all chemical

reactions which build up and

tear down complex molecules in
order to generate cellular
energy

3. ALL LIVING ORGANISMS

MUST MAINTAIN
HOMEOSTASIS.
Homeostasis maintaining a stable
steady state both internally and
externally

example: pH, temperature, water

balance, adaptations to environment

4. ALL LIVING ORGANISMS

REPRODUCE.

Organisms reproduce to pass on genetic traits to their offspring,

producing new organisms like themselves.

TWO TYPES OF
REPRODUCTION
Sexual Reproduction

Involves 2 parents
Egg and sperm
zygote (fertilized egg)
Zygote contains
hereditary information
from both parents

Asexual Reproduction
Involves a single organism
Cell divides by binary fission
Offspring IDENTICAL to parent

5. All living organisms grow &

develop.

Organisms grow as the result of

cell enlargement and cell division
Cell division is the formation of two
cells from a preexisting cell

6. ALL LIVING
ORGANISMS CONTAIN
DNA
(deoxyribose
nucleic
DNA.
acid) contains genetic
material passed from
one generation to the
next.

7. ALL LIVING THINGS RESPOND

TO STIMULI
Ex. light, heat, chemical and
mechanical changes
Results in adaptations - changes in
the structure or functioning of an
organism that makes it better
suited to its environment

Characteristics of Life
1.

All are made of cells

2.

All require food and energy

3.

All maintain homeostasis

4.

All reproduce

5.

All grow and develop

6.

All contain DNA

7.

All respond to stimuli

8.

All adapt and evolve over time

II. What is an animal?

A. Animals are organisms that are
eukaryotic, multicellular,
heterotrophic, and lack cell walls
B. Over 95% of all animals are
invertebrates, do not have a vertebral
column
C. The other 5% are vertebrates

III. Components of Zoology

A.Invertebrate Zoology is the study of
animals without a back bone (vertebral
column)
1. most are soft bodied
2. some have an exoskeleton or shell

B. Vertebrate Zoology is the study

of animals that have a back bone
(vertebral column)
1. higher level of development
2. have internal support system
made of bone or cartilage
3. All in the Phylum Chordata

Specialties or sub-disciplines of Zoology

1. Study of one-celled animals protozoology
2. Study of mollusks malacology
3. Study of insects entomology
4. Study of spiders arachnology
5.Study of birds ornithology
6.Study of reptiles and amphibians herpetology
7. Study of fish ichthyology
8.Study of mammals mammalogy

C. Morphology the study of the

shape, form, and structure of
animals and their parts.
D. Comparative Anatomy study of
the similarities and differences in
the anatomy of different groups of
animals
1. homologous structures
2. analogous structures
3. germ layers cell layers during
development

E. Taxonomy the science of

naming and classifying organisms on
the basis of their evolutionary
closeness to other organisms.
1. Use binomial nomenclature
2. Systamatics science that
describes relationships among
organisms
3. Phylogeny or Cladistics which
shows evolutionary relationships to
other animals

There are about 1.5 million named animal

species.
These are divided into approximately 34
phyla, based on the complexity of their body.
All 34 phyla contain invertebrates, even the
phylum Chordata.
94% of all animal species are invertebrates.
82% of all animal species are Arthropods.
3% of all animals are in the phylum Chordata.
0.03% of all animals are mammals.

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: basis for genetic continuity
of organisms; is also the source of
physical diversity through the process
of mutation

C. Organisms share a common

genetic history common ancestry
1. Evolution (unifying theory of biology)
is the gradual change with in a
population of organisms over very long
periods of time.

2. EVIDENCES FOR EVOLUTION:

a) diversity of living and extinct species
b) Fossil recordstudy of paleontology
c) Comparative embryology the embryonic
development of an organism mirrors
somewhat its evolutionary history
d) Study of DNA and its relatedness between
species
e) Comparative anatomy

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