Chapter 1

Zoology: An Evolutionary and Ecological Perspective

Animal Extinction“no longer exists”

• Has increased dramatically in recent years

• Seriously threatened habitats:Rain forests GrasslandsMarshes DesertsCoral reefs

Animal Extinction Causes:• Mostly due to habitat destruction

– Tropical rainforest reduced to 44% – Forest coverage in Ecuador reduced by 95%

• Other causes include:– Climate change– Pollution– Foreign species invasion

Animal Extinction

• Endangered species – an imminent danger of extinction throughout its range (where it lives)

• Threatened species – likely to become endangered in the near future

2003 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

1,263 species endangered or

threatened

1,824 foreign species endangered or

threatened

Zoology: The study of animals

Because of the large variety and complexity of animals zoology is the broadest field in science

• 300,000 species of beetles• 20,000 species of bony fish

Zoologists specialize in subdisciplines……

Anatomy: Study of the structure of entire organisms and their parts.

Cytology: Study of cell structure & function.Ecology: Study of relationships between organisms

with their environment.Embryology: Study of the development of animal

from fertilized egg to birth/hatching.Genetics: Study of mechanisms of transmission of

traits from parents to offspring.

Specializations(structural, functional, ecological aspects)

Specializations(structural, functional, ecological aspects)

Histology: Study of tissues.Molecular Biology: Study of subcellular details of

structure and function.Parasitology: Study of animals that live in/on other

organisms at the host’s expense.Physiology: Study of the function of organisms and

their parts.Systematics: Study of the classifications of, and the

evolutionary interrelationships among animal groups.

Specializations

Study of insects

Study of amphibians and reptile

Study of fishes

Study of mammals

Study of birds

Study of protozoans

Entomology:

Herpetology:

Ichthyology:

Mammalogy:

Ornithology:

Protozoology:

(Groups of animals)