ZOOLOGY STUDY GUIDE - Ye. O. Nevedomska - 2013

LECTURE 2. ZOOLOGY AS A SCIENCE

1. Zoology — the Science of Animals

The accumulation of knowledge about animals began a very long time ago. In his zoological treatises, Aristotle (384-322 BC) identified and characterized over 400 animal species, dividing them into "animals with Blood" and "animals without blood." However, the establishment of Zoology as a science became possible only after the publication of "Systema naturae" (1758) by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778). He described 4208 animal species, organizing them into a hierarchical system based on subordinate categories: species, genus, order, and Class.

Zoology (from Greek zoon — animal, logos — science, knowledge) is the science that studies the Structure and vital activities of animals, their evolutionary and individual development, Classification, relationship with the environment, patterns of Distribution of Animals and their communities on Earth, their role in the biosphere, and their significance to humans.

The primary goal of zoology as a science is to acquire and synthesize new knowledge about the Levels of Organization and diversity of animals, the state of their resources, and to develop Methods for the rational use and conservation of animals and their communities.

At its current stage of development, zoology is a system of sciences, each of which studies animals from a specific perspective, having its own objectives and methods.

The subject of animal systematics (from Greek systema — whole compounded of parts, system) is The Natural System of animal organisms, established on The basis of their comprehensive, multifaceted study. It develops animal classification, i.e., the division of the animal kingdom into specific related groups.

Zoogeography (from Greek zoon — animal, geographia — Description of the earth) investigates the distribution of animals on Earth and uncovers the historical patterns of the genesis and formation of fauna in different regions. For The Study of

the Geographical Distribution of animals, the science of paleontology provides rich material. The rapid development of zoogeography is greatly credited to the famous scientists M. O. Severtsov, M. O. Menzbier, P. P. Sushkin, and many others.

Paleozoology (from Greek palaios — ancient, zoon — animal, logos — study) studies the animal world of past eras. Paleozoology investigates long-extinct animals using their remains or traces of life activity, which scientists find in the layers of the Earth's crust as fossils or imprints. Based on these data, and also taking into account the patterns of life and development of modern animals, paleozoology studies The structure of fossil creatures, their systematics, origin, and lifestyle. By examining the fauna that existed in different geological eras, paleozoology is closely linked to geology. A great contribution to The Development of paleozoology was made by V. O. Kovalevsky, who is the founder of evolutionary paleontology. Paleozoology is closely connected with phylogeny (from Greek phylon — race, tribe, genesis — origin) — the science of the ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION of the animal kingdom as a whole and of individual animal groups.

Ethology (from Greek ethos — custom, character) studies the general biological foundations and patterns of animal behavior.

Animal ecology (from Greek οίκος — house, home; logos — science) is a branch of zoology that studies the lifestyle of animals in relation to their living conditions and The Significance of environmental factors for the basic Functions of living organisms (Nutrition, reproduction, survival, population fluctuations, etc.).

The division of zoology into two major branches — invertebrate zoology (which studies all phyla of the animal kingdom except the phylum Chordata) and vertebrate zoology (which studies animals belonging to the phylum Chordata) is determined by different Objects of Study, the Abundance and Diversity of Animal kingdom representatives, the level of knowledge about individual groups, and the Specificity of their research methodologies. Various groups of animals are studied by different scientific disciplines, including: protozoology — Protozoans, helminthology — parasitic worms, malacology — Mollusks, entomology — insects, ichthyology — fish, batrachology — amphibians, herpetology — reptiles, ornithology — birds, and mammalogy — mammals.

The accumulation of knowledge about animals led to the differentiation of zoology into A number of distinct sciences based on the subject of study: animal Morphology studies their internal and external structure, while physiology studies the functions of individual Organs and the Organism as a whole. Zoology widely utilizes and builds upon data from several general biological sciences: anatomy, Histology, Cytology, physiology, Embryology, and genetics.

The results of zoological research are applied in practice across many sectors of the economy, as well as in healthcare and public utilities. For example, the biological control method involves using natural enemies (predators, parasites, antagonists), their metabolic products (pheromones, juvenoids, BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE SUBSTANCES), and entomopathogenic microorganisms to protect plants from pests, aiming to reduce pest populations and damage while creating favorable conditions for beneficial species in agrobiocenoses—essentially applying "living against living." A positive aspect of the biological method is its environmental friendliness. Biological agents can be used without limitations on application frequency, whereas the number of plant treatments with chemical pesticides is strictly regulated.