Introduction to the

Living Animal
Module 1
Week 1
Objectives
• Define zoology as a branch of biology.
• Trace the historical timeline of zoology.
• Identify the different specializations in zoology.
• Explain the family relationships among animals and how great
variety of animals arose.
• Analyze how human interference threatens animal populations
and the human environment.
Life: Biological Principles and the Science of
Zoology
➢ Zoology
- the scientific study of animal life.
➢ Etymology
- zoology came from the Greek work, “zoon” and “logos”,
literally translated to the study of animals.
➢ The knowledge of the animal world is gained by actively applying
important guiding principles to our investigation.
➢ The exploration of the animal world depends critically on our
questions, methods, and principles.
Life: Biological Principles and the Science of
Zoology
➢ The principles of modern zoology are derived from
- Laws of physics and Chemistry; and
- Scientific Method
➢ Because life shares a common evolutionary origin, principles
learned from the study of one groups often pertains to other
groups as well.
Species of Organisms
➢ There are 13 billion known species of organisms
➢ This is only 5% of all organisms that ever lived!!!!!
➢ New organisms are still being found and identified

➢ There are more than 300,000 different species of beetles

and over 20,000 different species of bony fish that have been
described. Functional, structural, and ecological are
zoology's subfields.
• Specializations frequently have to do with the kind of animal or the animal that
is being studied.
Species of Organisms

Figure 1.1 Cichlids. Dogtooth Figure 1.2 Cichlids. The

cichlid (Cynotilapia afra)- native fontosa (Cyphontilapia fontosa)-
to Lake Malawi in Africa native to Lake Tanganyika in
Afica

Figure 1.3. A Mouth-Brooding Figure 1.4. Lakes Victoria,

Cichlid. Nimbochromis livingstonii is a Tanganyika and Malawi. Zoologists
mouth-brooding species. Eggs develop have been able to trace the lineage of
in the mouth of the female and, after the cichlid populations in these lakes
hatching, young return to the female’s back to 200,000 years. Lake
mouth when danger threatens Tanganyika is where cichlid
populations first appeared, and they
later expanded to the other two lakes.
History
1. The prominent ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle took detailed notes on
animal observations. Many other scientists were inspired.
2. Many universities were founded in Europe in the 16th century.
3. Mid-17th century, divisions were founded in universities that focused entirely
on animal research.
4. 19th century, the microscope became commonplace in scientific research; cells
of animals could be studied at the microscopic level.
5. Naturalist, Charles Darwin developed the theory of evolution by natural
selection
6. More recently, the discovery of DNA as life’s genetic material led to even more
new research about natural world and the evolutionary relationships between
animals.
Zoology as a Part Of Biology
• Animals has a branch in the evolutionary history (tree of life).
➢ This branched emerged more than 600 million years ago in the Precambrian
oceans
• Animals belong to the wider group of eukaryotes, which are
creatures with nuclei that are encased in membranes.
➢ branch consists of many unicellular organisms, fungi, and plants.
Zoology as a Part Of Biology

A) B)

Figure 1.5. Some organisms, such as the single-celled Euglena (A) and Volvox (B), combine properties that distinguish animals (locomotion) and
plants (photosynthetic ability).
List of Disciplinaries
Subdisciplines Description
Anatomy Study of the structure of an entire organism and its parts.
Cytology Study of the structure and the function of the cell.
Ecology Study of the interaction of organisms with their environment
Embryology Study of the development of an animal from the fertilized egg to birth or hatching.

Genetics Study of the mechanisms and transmission of traits from parents to offspring.
Histology Study of Tissues
Molecular Study of sub-cellular details of an animal structure and function.
Biology
Parasitology Study of animals that live in or on other organisms at the expense of the host.
Physiology Study of the function of organisms and their parts.
Systematics Study of the classification of, and the evolutionary interrelationship among animal groups.

Entomology Study of insects

Herpetology Study of amphibians and reptiles
Ichthyology Study of fishes
Mammalogy Study of mammals
Protozoology Study of Protozoa
Ornithology Study of birds
An Evolutionary Perspective
• Animals share a common evolutionary past and evolutionary
forces that influences their history. Evolutionary processes are
remarkable for their relative simplicity, yet they have had
awesome effect on life-forms. These processes have resulted in
an estimated 4 to 30 million species of organisms living today (1.4
are described) many more existed in the past have become
extinct. Zoologists must understand evolutionary processes if
they are to understand what an animal is and how it originated.
• Common evolutionary past and forces unravel family
relationships.
• Evolutionary processes affect life-forms thus explains why
animals appear and function.
Evolutionary Processes
• Organic evolution (Latin, evolutos, unroll) is change in
populations of organisms over time. It is the source of animal
diversity and it explains family relationships within animal
groups. Figure 1.6. Colorful Topheus duboisi.

•Different color patterns within the species

• A result of isolation of populations among
sheltering rock piles separated by expanses
of sandy bottom
• Breeding is more likely to occur within their
isolated populations because fish that
venture over the sand are exposed to
predators
Charles Darwin Contribution to Evolution
• Phylogeny – the origin and diversification of any taxon or
the evolutionary history of its origin and diversification usually
presented in a form of a dendrogram.
• Homology – similarity of parts or organs of different
organisms caused by evolutionary derivation from a
corresponding part or organ in a remote ancestor, usually
having a similar embryonic origin. For example:
Charles Darwin Contribution to Evolution

Figure 1.7. A study of Michio Hori from Kyoto University.

Fish sample on the left has a mouth asymmetrically curved to the right. It
approaches and bite scales from the left side of their prey. On the other hand,
the fish sample on the right has a mouth asymmetrically curved to the left and it
approaches and bites scales from the right side of their prey. Both are
maintained in population; otherwise, the prey would be wary to be attacked on
one side

Lee 2015
Charles Darwin Contribution to Evolution
• The theories:
1. Perpetual Change
2. Common descent
3. Multiplication of species
4. Gradualism
5. Natural Selection
Evidence of Evolution

1. Perpetual Change
➢ The living world is always changing
Evidence of Evolution
2. Common Descent
➢ All forms of life
descended from a
common ancestor
through a branching of
lineages.
Figure 1.8. An early tree of life drawn in 1874 by the German biologist, Ernst
Haeckel, who was strongly influenced by Darwin’s theory of common descent.
Many of the phylogenetic hypotheses shown in this tree, including the unilateral
progression of evolution toward humans (Menschen, top), have been refuted.
Evidence of Evolution
3. Multiplication of Species
➢ evolutionary process produces new species by the
splitting or transformation of older ones.
Evidence of Evolution
4. Gradualism
➢ large differences in
anatomical traits that
characterize different
species originate through
Figure 1.9. Gradualism provides a plausible explanation for the origins of
the accumulation of many different bill shapes in the Hawaiian honeycreepers shown here. This theory has
been challenged, however, as an explanation of the evolution of such structures
as vertebrate scales, feathers, and hair from a common ancestral structure. The
small incremental changes geneticist Richard Goldschmidt viewed the latter forms as unbridgeable by any
gradual transformation series.

over very long periods of

time.
Evidence of Evolution
5. Natural Selection
➢ there is variation among
organisms for
anatomical, behavioral
and physiological traits,
➢ The variation is at least
partly heritable so that
Figure 1.10. According to Darwinian evolutionary theory, the different forms of these
offspring tend to vertebrate forelimbs were molded by natural selection to adapt them for different functions.
We show in later chapters that, despite these adaptive differences, these limbs share
resemble their parents basic structural similarities.
Evidence of Evolution
5. Natural Selection
➢ Three Principles
1. There is a variety across species’ (within population)
anatomical, behavioral, and physiological features.
2. Children will typically resemble their parents.
3. distinct alternative forms of organisms are predicted to
produce varied numbers of progeny over succeeding
generations.
Animal Classification and Evolutionary
Relationships
Animals, like all other species, are named and placed in a hierarchy of relatedness. The Binomial
Nomenclature, which comprises the genus and species names of an organism, was proposed by
Karl von Linnaeus (1707–1778), often known as Carolus Linnaeus. e.g., Canis familiaris and Felis
domesticus. The closest relationships exist between members of the same species, followed by
members of the same genus, and so on.

Figure 1.11. A case of African Cichlids.

Genetics studies have shown that African cichlids originated in the Lake
Tanganyika, and from there the fish invaded African rivers and lakes in
Malawi and Victoria. Lake Victoria’s 400 species have been linked to an
invasion by ancestral cichlids, approximately 200, 000 years ago.
Animal Classification and Evolutionary
Relationships

Figure 1.12. The classification of a horsefly, housefly, cichlid fish, and human illustrates how the classification system depicts degree if relatedness.
General Properties of Living Systems
• Complexity and Hierarchal Organization:
➢ Living systems demonstrate a unique and complex hierarchal
organization.
• In living systems there exists hierarchy of levels that
includes:
• Macromolecules
• Cells
• Tissue
• Organs
• Organisms
• Population
Species of Organisms
• There are 13 billion known species of organisms
• This is only 5% of all organisms that ever lived!!!!!
• New organisms are still being found and identified
What is Classification?
• Classification is the arrangement of organisms into orderly
groups based on their similarities
• Classification is also known as taxonomy
• Taxonomists are scientists that identify & name organisms
What is Classification?
• Accurately & uniformly names organisms
• Prevents misnomers such as starfish & jellyfish
that aren't really fish
• Uses same language (Latin or some Greek) for
all names
Sea”horse”??
An Ecological Perspective
• Ecology is the study of interactions between living things and
their surroundings (from the Greek oikos, meaning home,
and logos, meaning to study).
• The dependency (or interdependence) of one animal on
another animal or vice versa is essential to this interaction.
• Animals of lower taxa provide the food, medicine, and
clothing for humans, which are higher taxa of animals.
Human actions, however, disrupt the natural equilibrium.
World Population and its Resources
• Overall, there are two main problems that are focus of our ecological
concerns:
➢ Global overpopulation
➢ Exploitation of World Resources.
A) B)

Figure 1.13 Brazilian tropical Forest. A)

Before; B) After clean-cutting to make way
for agriculture.
SUMMARY
• Zoology is the study of animals. A broad field of specializations and
subdisciplines.
• Animals share a common evolutionary past and evolutionary forces that
influences their history.
• Evolution explains how the diversity of animals arose.
• Evolutionary relationships are the basis for the classification of animals into
a hierarchal system. The classification is binomial nomenclature. Higher
level of classification denotes more distinct evolutionary relationships.
• All animals share a common environment, and ecological principles helps
us to understand how animals interact within that environment.
• Human overpopulation is at the root of virtually all other environment
problems, stresses world resources and results in pollution, global
warming, deforestation, and the extinction of many plants and animal
species.
REFERENCES
• Hickman, Cleveland P., et al. 1988. Integrated Principles of
Zoology. Quezon City: Copyright by Times Mirror/ Mos by
College Publishing and Printed by JMC Press, Inc.