Within biology there are many disciplines, and as knowledge advances, new ones will emerge.
The 50 main branches of biology
Currently, scientific study has expanded greatly, giving rise to many disciplines and subdisciplines unimaginable just a few years ago. The science that concerns us is not an exception, since, like the other classical sciences, it has developed through numerous other auxiliary branches of biology.
New fields of knowledge give rise to new discoveries that help us to know more about the world around us . In biology, these advances represent everything that the human being comes to know in relation to living beings, always through and through their different and specific branches.
The 10 most important branches of biology
Due to their history and importance, these branches of biology should stand out from the rest.
In fact, in all cases they are branches of biology with outstanding hierarchical positions, that is, integrated by other subdisciplines or new branches of knowledge. For example, within zoology we will find Herpetology, Mammalogy, Ichthyology or Ornithology.
1. Cell biology
Cell biology deals with the study of biology at the cellular level.
2. Evolutionary biology
Evolutionary biology is the discipline in charge of investigating the changes that different species have suffered throughout their history.
3. Molecular biology
Molecular biology has as its focus of study biology at such a microscopic level that it focuses on molecular structures.
4. Biochemistry
Biochemistry is the science that represents the intersection between biology and chemistry. Its object of study are composition and chemical reactions of the biological world.
5. Botany
Botany is the biological discipline that bases its study on the plant kingdom.
6. Ecology
Ecology focuses on the study that living things have with their natural habitat.
7. Physiology
Physiology is the biological branch that is responsible for describing the vital functions of living beings (circulatory system, respiratory system, musculoskeletal system, etc.)
8. Genetics
Genetics has genes as an object of study, investigating any related topic such as their expression and repair or inheritance.
9. Microbiology
Microbiology is the discipline that is responsible for studying the life of microorganisms.
10. Zoology
Zoology is the branch of biology that focuses on the study of the animal kingdom.
Other branches of biology
To cover the greatest possible knowledge, biology has been creating new fields of specialization. As there is more and more detailed information, it is necessary to limit and concentrate knowledge.
This is the reason why we find so many branches of biology. They allow us to continue investigating and advance in the discovery of new data contained in the biological world and the juxtaposition with other fields of knowledge such as chemistry, physics or psychology.
11. Anatomy
Anatomy focuses its study on the description of the internal structure of living beings.
12. Astrobiology
Astrobiology is a unique discipline as it focuses on research and theorizing about life outside of our planet.
13. Bacteriology
Bacteriology is a subdiscipline of microbiology that studies bacteria.
14. Biophysics
Biophysics converges biology and physics, focusing its study on the physical phenomena that occur in biological processes.
15. Biogeography
Biogeography is related to the concept of biosphere, being the study of the distribution of life on the planet.
16. Bioinformatics
Bioinformatics investigates the applicability of computational technology in relation to available data in biology.
17. Bioengineering
Bioengineering is one of the newer disciplines on this list, and is also known as biological engineering or biomedical engineering. Apply engineering principles to create new medical therapies or technologies.
18. Environmental Biology
Environmental biology is a field that focuses on the relationships between humans, other living things, and the environment.
19. Marine Biology
Marine biology is the branch that has marine life as its object of study.
20. Mathematical Biology
Mathematical biology uses mathematical techniques to study biological models.
21. Cytopathology
Cytopathology focuses on the study of diseases that corresponds to the cellular level.
22. Cytochemistry
Cytochemistry studies the chemical composition and molecular processes that take place in the cell.
23. Chronobiology
Chronobiology is a discipline that studies the biological rhythms of living beings, that is, what their relationship is with the passage of time.
24. Embryology
Embryology focuses its study on the development of animal embryos from fertilization and all its morphogenesis.
25. Entomology
Entomology is the branch of zoology that studies arthropods, that is, invertebrate animals such as insects, arachnids or crustaceans.
26. Epidemiology
Epidemiology investigates the way in which diseases are expressed and spread.
27. Ethology
Etiology is a discipline straddling biology and psychology. Investigate the behavior of living beings, which in many cases serves to explain human behavior.
28. Phycology
Phycology, also called algology, is a botanical subdiscipline whose object of study is algae.
29. Phylogeny
Phylogeny focuses on the relationship of different species, being therefore a discipline that encompasses evolutionary biology and taxonomy.
30. Phytopathology
Phytopathology is a discipline focused on plant diseases.
31. Herpetology
Herpetology is the branch of zoology that focuses on studying reptiles.
32. Histology
Histology specifically studies everything related to organic tissues, which form the different living beings.
33. Ichthyology
Ichthyology is the branch of zoology responsible for the study of bony fish.
34. Immunology
Immunology is the discipline responsible for the study of immunity.
35. Limnology
The study of limnology focuses on inland aquatic ecosystems.
36. Mammalogy
This branch of zoology focuses on the study of mammals.
37. Mycology
Mycology is the scientific discipline responsible for the kingdom of fungi.
38. Morphology
Morphology aims to study the shape of living beings.
39. Organography
Organography describes the organs belonging to organisms of the animal kingdom and also of the plant.
40. Ontogenia
Ontogeny is the science that investigates how living beings originate.
41. Ornithology
Ornithology is the part of zoology responsible for the study of birds.
42. Paleontology
Paleontology focuses on the study of organisms that are fossilized.
43. Parasitology
Parasitology is a discipline specifically dedicated to parasites and to understanding everything related to them.
44. Pathology
Pathology is a transversal discipline that aims to study everything that has to do with diseases and dysfunctions.
45. Primatology
Primatology is the discipline that deals with the study of primates, our closest relatives in the animal world.
46. Synecology
Synecology is a field that is responsible for understanding how different communities relate to the ecosystem.
47. Sociobiology
Sociobiology has its focus of interest in the social relationships that are established in the animal world.
48. Taxonomy
Taxonomy is a discipline specifically concerned with the classification of species.
49. Toxicology
Toxicology studies the relationship between living beings and different substances that are toxic to them.
50. Virology
Virology is a discipline dedicated exclusively to the study of viruses.
Bibliographic references
- Buican, D. (1995). History of biology, Madrid: Editorial Accent .
- Gerald , MC ( 2015 ). The book of Biology. Madrid: Ilus Books (Alphaomega Distributions SL) .
- Mayr, E. (1998). This is Biology: The Science of the Living World. Cambridge, MA (EUA): The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.