ZOOLOGY: AN EVOLUTIONARY AND ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

IT’S ZO NOT ZOO

The root word for zoology is “zo”, not “zoo”.

“Zo” is Latin for “animals”

“ology” is Latin for “the study of”

If it was ZOO-ology, it would have three O’s

WHAT IS ZOOLOGY?

The study of ANIMALS

One of the broadest fields of science Think about how many

animals are on the earth…or just how many different beetles! (300,000)

There are at least 16 specializations within Zoology, developing on what the focus.

FOUNDATION OF ZOOLOGY: EVOLUTION NOTE: In your text,

evolutionary concepts are set off in this style font (bold, italics- see p.90)

Evolution is the source of animal diversity, driven by forces like Natural Selection

Zoologists study a variety of traits to understand the evolutionary relationships among different organisms. DNA is extremely important

for this process.

CLASSIFICATION

Organisms are classified using binomial nomenclature. Two part name that is unique for each species Genus + species

Organisms are first classified using DKPCOFGS Classification is essentially a hypothesis about

the amount of DNA shared amongst the animals in that group.

Working with your group, make up a mnemonic device to remember DKPCOFGS (5 minutes)

ECOLOGY

Ecology: The study of the relationships between organisms and their environment.

As we learn about each group of animals, we will consider the ecological relationships they share

In learning this, we can see how humans fit into the bigger ecological picture

ENDANGERMENT

Two main ecological concerns are affected human and animal lives: Global overpopulation (of humans) Exploitation of world resources

Overpopulation: 5 billion out of 6.6 billion humans live in less

developed countries As the human population grows, the disparity

between and wealthiest and poorest nations will likely increase.

How does this affect animals?

ENDANGERMENT

World Resources Most food is produced in industrialized nations.

These countries already have a high per capita food consumption rate.

Oil production will rise Fossil fuels usage will release more harmful

gasses to the atmosphere Deforestation

Preservation of forests could lead to identification of new species for new foods, drugs, and building materials.

Again…how does this affect us?