Introduction

to Zoology
 I. General Information about
Zoology
A. Zoology = study of animals
B. Why study animals?
1. Learn about animals
( including humans)
2. Learn about animal interactions
with each other, with other species,
and with their environment
 I. General Information about
Zoology
C. How do we study animals?
Use Scientific Method:
1. Problem
2. Research
3. Hypothesis
4. Experiment
5. Results
6. Conclusions
 I. General Information about
Zoology
D. What is scientific, what is not?
Science Not Science

Observable Not observable

Natural laws to Faith, Magic

explain phenomena
Testable Not testable
theories
Conclusions Set in stone, cannot
tentative be questioned
 Important names in the field of Zoology

Aristotle
Father of Biology, Zoology
and Embryology

Theophrastus
Father of Botany
 Louis Pasteur
Father of Microbiology

Gregor Mendel
Father of Genetics

Alexander Fleming
Father of Antibiotics
 M.Francis Bichat
Father of Histology

arolus Linnaeus
Father of Taxonomy

Anton Van Leeuwenhoek

Father of Microscopy
William Harvey
Father of Blood
Circulation

arl Landsteiner Father of Evolution

Father of Blood Groups
Charles Darwin
Hippocrates
Father of Medicine

obert Hooke
Father of Cytology Acharya Charak
Father of Ayurveda
 Ivan Pavlov
Father of Conditional reflex

Father of ECG

WillemEinthoven
Father of Immunology

Edward Jenner
Thomas Addison
Father of Endocrinology

Pier Antonio Micheli

Father of Mycology

Wendell Meredith Stanle

Father of Virology
 Sashruta
Father of Surgery

Alec Jeffery

Norman Borlaug
Father of Green
Father of DNA
Revolution
fingerprinting
 Tenets of Darwinian Theory
1. Perpetual change
Nothing on Earth stays the same, but is
constantly changing in a non cyclical fashion

The volcanic
Island of Surtsey
which is formed in
1963
2. Gradualism
Large anatomical differences in species
occurred in small increments over long
periods of time (Since disputed)
Punctuated equilibrium is a theory in evolutionary
biology which proposes that once species appear
in the fossil record the population will become
stable, showing little evolutionary change for most
of its geological history.
3. Natural Selection
Survival of the fittest-only the strong survive
 Animals produce more of their own kind
than is necessary in order to survive.
(Salmon)

 There is a constant struggle for

existence….food, water, etc.

 Organisms have variation, and those

variations are heritable for success or
failure

 Organisms are constructed to meet the

demands and needs of their
environment - ADAPTATION
4. Multiplication of Species
Isolated populations which no longer
interbreed will develop into different species as
they become more adapted to their specific
habitat.
5. Common Descent
This is really the only part of evolutionary theory
that gives anyone any trouble – and the truth is,
evolution never said that man came from
monkeys! It says that man and apes and monkeys
all evolved from a common ancestor. It suggest
the following:

 All forms of life evolved from a single organism

in the ocean
 Those forms, through multiplication of species
became differentiated
 In 1955 Stanley Miller developed apparatus to
show how life could have begun
Ernst Haeckel’s
“Stammbaum
des Menschen”
or “Pedigree of
Man” known
today as the
phylogeny of
man
At first, Darwin’s theory of
Evolution was not accepted
by science or the church,
because of the mistaken
theory of blending
inheritance……
The Austrian
monk Gregor
Mendel (1822-
1884) laid the
foundations for
modern genetics,
although his
work was largely
unknown until
long after his
death.
Mendel developed the law of
independent assortment and the law
of particulate inheritance and
disproved that all offspring were a
blend of their parents. This slightly
changed Darwin’s theory, but made it
work.
The new theory of evolution, based
on Mendelian Genetics is known as
Neo-Darwinism.
 II. Taxonomy

A. Definition = science of naming

things & assigning them to groups
 II. Taxonomy

B. Why classify?
Why have a classification system?

1. Single, universal name

2. Avoid confusion
(be on same page)

3. Understand how living

things are related
to one another
 II. Taxonomy

C. E.g. What are the FIVE common

names of this animal?
 II. Taxonomy

1. Mountain Lion
2. Cougar
3. Puma
4. (Florida) Panther
Rocky Mountain resident
5. Catamount

Florida resident
 II. Taxonomy
D. ¿Wouldn’t it be confusing if we didn’t have
a scientific name?

Felis concolor
= scientific name of
the
mountain lion

Genus species
 II. Taxonomy
E. Binomial nomenclature
1. System of scientific naming
2. Developed by Carolus Linnaeus
(Swedish botanist) in 1750s
3. Two part scientific name Genus and
species
4. Must be underlined or in italics
5. Genus capitalized, species not
6. In Latin (dead language of scholars)
II. Taxonomy

F. There are three main classification

systems:
1. Binomial nomenclature
2. 3 Domain system
3. Cladistics

★ Note: Binomial nomenclature is

used in this Zoology class.
2. Three Domain system
All other living things
3. Cladistics
II. Taxonomy
F. Example :
Homo sapiens
(wise man)

1. Scientific name
for human beings

2. Homo = genus
(capitalized &
underlined)
3. sapiens = species
(underlined, but NOT
capitalized)
II. Taxonomy
G. 7 Taxa of living things ( taxon = group)

Kingdom (kings) (King

Phylum (play) (Phillip)
Class (chess) (Came)
Order (on) (Over)
Family (fine) (From)
Genus (green) (Germany)
Species (silk) (Saturday)
 II. Taxonomy

H. Kingdom is least specific,

largest group
I. Species is most specific,
contains only one kind of
organism
 II. Taxonomy
J. An example: Classification of humans
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Primates
Family Hominidae
Genus Homo
Species sapiens
 II. Taxonomy

K. ¿ What determines how something

is classified?
1. DNA

2. Structure
 K. ¿ What determines how
something is classified?
3. Embryology & development
 II. Taxonomy
L. ☺There are 6 kingdoms
of living things
1. Archaebacteria
2. Eubacteria
3. Protista
4. Fungi
5. Plantae
6. Animalia
 II. Taxonomy

M. Prokaryotic = does not have a

nucleus to
contain its
DNA
N. Eukaryotic – has a
membrane–bound nucleus
 II. Taxonomy
N. Unicellular
Prokaryotic
1. Archaebacteria –ancient bacteria
2. Eubacteria – most bacteria

Eukaryotic
3. Protista – single-celled organisms

O. Multicellular
4. Fungi – e.g. mushrooms
5. Plantae - plants
6. Animalia - animals