GENERAL ZOOLOGY

introduction

Zoology as a SCIENCE
ZOOLOGY

[Gr.: zoon- animal, logus- study of)

- animal life
- how animal function (PHYSIOLOGY)
- how animal live
- animal structures (MORPHOLOGY)
- animal reproduction and
- interaction with the environment..etc

ANIMAL
Characteristics:

1. capable of locomotion
2. irritable and responds quickly to a
stimuli - due to the presence of the
nervous system
3. heterotrophs
4. inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide
5. don not posses cell walls
6. animals have limited growth (set by
genes)

SCIENCE & The SCIENTIFIC METHOD

SCIENCE

[Lt.: scientia- knowledge]

-body of systematized facts and
knowledge arrived from the
application of the scientific method
and/or logical thinking to predict future
events
-aims to understand and interpret the
workings of the universe

Terms and definitions

FACTS | truths that are recognized as such

without fear or doubt

- actual occurrences which are
usually comprehended as a result of
observation and experimentation
HYPOTHESIS | a.k.a. scientific guess
- suppositions or generalizations
which are likely explanation of a definite
series of facts

Terms and definitions

THEORY| conclusions based upon facts

as far as they are known and forms a

general frame of reference for further
studies
- it has a greater certainty than a
hypothesis and tries to explain
observed phenomena and the
relationships between them
PRINCIPLE | conclusions or general
truths which are established with

The scientific method

a tool in science which is utilized to gain

new knowledge or explain natural

phenomena
HICKMAN described as an ordinary
common sense raised to a higher level and
applied systematically
an investigative process that applies the
principle of logic in solving a problem

Steps involved in the

SCIENTIFIC METHOD
I. OBSERVATION

What do we (as a scientist) observe?

What do we use in observing?
What can we generate after observing?
What is INDUCTIVE REASONING?
What do we do with what we have observed?

Steps involved in the

SCIENTIFIC METHOD
II. DEFINITION OF A PROBLEM

What is a PROBLEM?
- it should be relevant and testable
- it must come from observations and experiences
III. HYPOTHESIS | remain to be tested and proven
- scientific guess that has temporary answer or
solution to the problem
- to have a scientific value on the basis of the
hypothesis, the scientist must deduce its consequences
(DEDUCTIVE REASONING) to make predictions about
future observations

Step involved in the

SCIENTIFIC METHOD
IV. EXPERIMENTATION

- a manipulative process by which a prediction

made on the basis of the hypothesis can be tested
- the information acquired (data) are critically
examined usually by analyzing it via STATISTICS
- if the data are as predicted then hypothesis is
accepted or supported
- if the data are not as predicted then
hypothesis is nullified

Step involved in the

SCIENTIFIC METHOD
2 entities of experimentation:
A. experimental variable
-the condition that has been applied and is
being tested is referred to as an experimental
variable
B. control group/variable
-the part of the experiment that must be
subjected to all conditions that prevailed during the
expirement

Step involved in the

SCIENTIFIC METHOD
V. CONCUSION | the final answer to the problem

-if hypothesis are supported by a great deal of

data and particularly it is very powerful, it attains the
status of a theory
-when the theory is proven to be a correct
conclusion, it becomes a principle of the science in
question
-some principles are considered as:
NATURAL LAWS laws of nature which describe
some inherent property or mode of operation of
specific natural agents