- What are the branches of biology?
- Botany
- Zoology
- Mycology
- Microbiology
- Ecology
- Evolutionary biology
- Genetics
- Developmental biology
- Biotechnology
- Astrobiology
We explain what are the branches of biology and the characteristics of botany, zoology, mycology, microbiology and more.
What are the branches of biology?
The biology is the science who studies the life, and the latter is immensely diverse and complex, so that the disciplines devoted to it are very abundant as well. That is why biology has many branches or sub-disciplines, that is, more limited fields of study that belong to this general science, but that handle narrower interests.
The branches of biology differ from each other depending on the type of life forms they study, or the specific way in which said study is focused. Thus, there are branches dedicated to each kingdom of life, but also to the study of microscopic life as opposed to that perceptible to the naked eye, or the study of life in its respective habitats, and even to the comparative analysis of life forms or their internal functions.
Next we will see the main branches of biology and what each one studies.
Botany
The botany is the study of life forms classified within the vegetal kingdom, that is, of the plants. This implies its description, classification, ecology, comparative study, relationships with each other and with others living beings, among many other aspects that concern the forms of life autotrophic Y photosynthetic.
In turn, botany can be classified into two main aspects:
- Pure botany, which investigates plant life to better understand it in itself.
- Applied botany, which applies this knowledge to useful and specific fields, such as agriculture, pharmaceuticals, etc.
Zoology
The zoology is the study of living beings classified within the animal Kingdom. This ranges from the higher animals and close to the human being, even the lower animals and the microscopic (and some of them, parasites). The only common feature between them is that they are heterotrophs Y breathe, although the latter can be done in air or water, or in other substances.
In turn, zoology comprises very different fields of study of animals, which vary in their approach to them: descriptive zoology seeks to classify them according to their perceptible appearance, while systemic ones think and rethink the models of classification of animal life, and palaeozoology deals with now extinct animals.
Mycology
The study of the organisms that make up the fungi kingdom, that is, of mushrooms Y yeast, decomposing heterotrophic beings, whether free-living or parasitic. Of all the branches of biology it is perhaps one of the most extensive and diversified, given the complexity of fungal life.
Their practical contributions to the different industries are very significant: the gastronomy, pharmacology, farming, medicine, among others, benefit from knowledge of fungi and yeasts. Like the two previous branches, mycology deals with classifying, describing and understanding these living organisms in the vastness of their possible appearances.
Microbiology
As its name indicates, it is about the study of microscopic life, that is, of those organisms that we cannot perceive with the naked eye, but that constitute a very relevant presence in absolutely all ecosystems of the world, including inside our own bodies.
The microbiology It is a relatively recent field in the history of science, since only three centuries ago the existence of microscopic beings could be verified.
This discovery revolutionized our vision of the world and of medicine, and it is a field of knowledge in continuous expansion as more and more is known about the various microorganisms that exist and that existed. Only 1% of microbes of the biosphere are known for the humanity Until now.
Ecology
Ecology studies the relationships between different living things.Ecology is a branch of biology that focuses on the interactions between different life forms that share a habitat. That is, how the relationships are woven between them and what they are.
Thus, it understands life as an organized system in which each species fulfills a certain role. In this system, the transmission of Energy Y matter between some organisms and others, thanks to their respective processes of feeding, in addition to other interactions.
We must not confuse this branch with ecology in the sense of conservationism. Obviously, ecologists are the ones who can best determine the impact of an activity on an ecosystem, since they know the multiple processes Biotics that happen inside, but it does not mean that all ecologists are dedicated to conservation or to promote the recycling.
Evolutionary biology
As its name suggests, evolutionary biology is linked to the concept of biological evolution: the gradual change of life as it adapts to the conditions of its environment and competes with itself.
This branch of biology is interested in these processes of change and adaptation, establishing kinship ties between species (phylogeny) and trying to understand better and better the processes that lead to the origin of new species (speciation).
This is also a very young branch of biology, whose origins date only from the first third of the 20th century, when fields of study not related until then (ecology, genetics, paleontology and the systemic) were united holistically to formulate Julian Huxley's Modern Synthesis of Understanding, that is, the most modern vision that exists about how evolutionary fact occurs.
Genetics
This is the science that studies inheritance, that is, the transmission of physical or physiological characteristics from one generation of living beings to the next, through units of biological information known as genes.
For this, its main objects of study are Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) and Ribonucleic Acid (RNA), two of the main substances involved in the encoding and decoding of the Genetic information.
Genetics is a very broad field of study, which addresses inheritance from multiple perspectives: population, cytological, molecular, etc. Its applications, moreover, are always controversial but impressive, as evidenced by the transgenic foods, the cloning or messenger RNA vaccines.
Developmental biology
This branch focuses on the understanding of the embryological formation process of living beings, that is, how a individual entirely new from the reproductive cells of their parents. This process encompasses a set of recognizable stages in which various genetic controls of cell growth and differentiation are involved, as the various fabrics that make up the body.
Developmental biology has common borders with embryology and reproductive study, so that its contributions can be revolutionary in the fields of medicine, the management of domestic animals or genetics.
Biotechnology
The biotechnology is the study of the applications of living organisms in the improvement of human life.
That is, how we can take advantage of the processes and functions of other living beings to carry out different tasks: generate medicines from microorganisms (as happened with the discovery of penicillin), transform substances into food (as yeasts do with bread), and many other similar examples.
Astrobiology
Fruit of the union of interests between biology and astronomy, this discipline tries to answer the question about life in the universe, that is to say, beyond the borders of our world.
It is not about the search for extraterrestrial life, nor about ufology, but about the study of chemical and physical processes that occur in space and the attempt to compare them with what we know about the formation of life in space. planet, to try to better understand how it could have arisen and why, and perhaps where else to look for it in the vastness of space.