16 THE SCOPE OF ZOOLOGY 



6. Ecology. This is the study of an animal in relation to its en- 

 vironment. It includes such topics as : how the animal gets its food, 

 what enemies it has, how it protects itself from these enemies, how it 

 survives unfavorable climatic conditions, and many other complicated 

 relationships of its natural environment. 



7. Zoogeography. This is the study of animals as they are dis- 

 tributed over the face of the earth. It seeks to explain why animals 

 are found where they are today, how they become dispersed by such 

 aerents as the Gulf Stream of the Atlantic, how barriers such as the 

 Sahara desert of Africa hinder their dispersal. It is also concerned 

 with those past geological conditions that may affect modern distribu- 

 tion. 



8. Paleontology. This is the study of animals as they have existed 

 in the past. The study must depend primarily on fossil records for 

 its conclusions. Since there are such large numbers of these available, 

 we have a fairly complete and accurate picture of prehistoric life, which 

 is valuable in tracing origins of present-day animals. 



In addition to these divisions, there are many subdivisions which 

 are named for some particular group of animals. These include : pro- 

 tozoology, a study of one-celled animals ; helminthology, a study of 

 worms ; parasitology, a study of animals that are parasites ; entomology, 

 a study of insects ; ichthyology, a study of fish ; herpetology, a study of 

 amphibians and reptiles ; and ornithology, a study of birds. 



From this list you can see that zoology is a very broad and com- 

 prehensive study. In an introductory course in the subject it will be 

 possible to give only a brief insight into these subdivisions. It is to 

 be hoped, however, that your curiosity may be stimulated so that you 

 will wish to know more about some of these branches and will study 

 them further, either in formal courses or through your own initiative 

 in self-directed study. 



REVIEW QUESTIONS 



1. How does the dynamic concept of science differ from its definition as an 

 organized body of facts ? 



2. What are the pitfalls which an untrained investigator is likely to encounter 

 in the selection of a problem for scientific research? 



3. Why should an investigator make a thorough survey of the literature on 

 a problem before starting research on it ? 



4. What is the primary aim of scientific research ? 



5. Distinguish between observation and experimentation as tools for scientific 

 research. 



6. List some problem which would have to be solved primarily by observation 

 and one that could utilize experimentation as a means of solution. (Do not list 

 any mentioned in this chapter.) 



