Biology has an infinity of fields and specializations.
In this article we will talk about the different types of biologists that exist, clarifying their different fields of research. If you are interested in a future career in biology or just interested in knowing how much this science encompasses, you are in luck.
How many types of biologists are there?
There is a huge variety of specializations within the field of biology. In fact, within the different classifications that we present to you there are even more subdivisions of biologists, which are not considered here but still exist.
Some of the most common types of biologists are the following.
1. Zoologists
Zoology is probably one of the oldest branches of biology , as it concerns those who study animals. Zoologists study animals by observing their morphology, classification, behavior, and development, usually specializing in a small range of organisms.
Some examples of zoologists would include entomologists, who study insects, mammologists, who study mammals in general, or ornithologists, who study birds. The most common is that within these fields, each biologist specializes in a few species.
2. Ecologists
Ecology is the science that studies ecosystems . This implies the study of living beings and the different relationships they have on the environment they inhabit, as well as the effects that the environment causes on the different species.
The study of ecosystems is usually done within the framework of evolutionary biology, genetics and etiology, the study of the behavior of living beings. An ecologist might study, for example, the effects of a tree population on rainfall in the surrounding area, or the food chains of an ecosystem.
3. Conservation biologists
Conservation biologists are a branch of biologists deeply linked to ecologists, but with a different approach. They are those scientists who are dedicated to the conservation and protection of species, especially those in danger of extinction due to human action.
A conservation biologist may be in charge of reintroduction programs for species that have disappeared from an ecosystem, or even be responsible for a population of wild animals found within a nature reserve.
4. Microbiologists
Microbiology is the field of study of microscopic beings, which have a multitude of various influences on our daily lives. Microbiologists are increasingly needed at an industrial, pharmaceutical, clinical level and even when establishing safety protocols at a food level.
Microbiology has experienced several revolutions in recent decades that have catapulted its importance , such as the implementation of increasingly faster, cheaper and more efficient genetic analysis technologies, the discovery of CRISPR gene editing systems, or the growing antibiotic resistance .
5. Biochemicals
Biochemists are biologists who are in charge of studying the chemical processes that occur in relation to living beings. This especially includes the metabolism of organisms , for example by describing the metabolic pathways necessary for life.
6. Molecular biologists
Molecular biologists are those who are responsible for studying life from the molecular point of view. They mainly study proteins and nucleic acids, such as DNA or RNA. Molecular biology has become one of the fundamental pillars of current biological research.
7. Epidemiologists
Epidemiologists are the scientists who study diseases, their causes, origins, and dynamics of spread . Epidemiologists are especially needed today, due to rising temperatures in much of the inhabited areas and the globalization of society.
8. Botanicals
Botanists are all biologists who are responsible for studying plants in their different aspects, from their physiology to their ecological relationships, genetic composition, evolutionary history and possible applications at an industrial level.
- If you want to know more about botany: “The 8 branches of Botany (and what each one studies)”
9. Bioinformatics
Bioinformaticians are those biologists who specialize in the use of computer tools to analyze large amounts of data at breakneck speed, allowing conclusions to be drawn from previous research.
Genetics is one of the sciences in which bioinformaticians are most in demand, due to the nature of genetic information: There is a lot of data that is complicated to analyze without the help of computer programs.
Bioinformatics, like molecular biology, is an integral part of recent biological research.
10. Marine biologists
Marine biologists are one of the most popular types of biologists, in part due to scientific popularizers such as Jacques Cousteau , who familiarized the population with this branch of biology. They are in charge of studying marine life.
11. Mycologists
Mycologists are the type of biologist who deals with the study of fungi . This branch of biology is often accompanied by botany, despite the fact that fungi represent their own kingdom within the species. Like botanists or zoologists, they limit their research to this group of organisms.
12. Astrobiologists
Astrobiologists are all those biologists interested in the effects of space on organic life, as well as the search for possible extraterrestrial life forms. Sooner or later, astrobiology will represent the study of all life forms in the universe, as well as their distribution and evolution.
Today astrobiologists are often limited to studying how life could occur in different environments, such as on the planet Mars. For this, they are based on data obtained from extremophilic life forms , capable of withstanding conditions unimaginable for the vast majority of living beings, since they give us clues about the range of conditions in which life can occur.
13. Paleontologists
Paleontologists are those scientists in charge of studying the fossil record and drawing conclusions about the living conditions, morphology, ethology and development of the different beings that are reflected in these geological accidents.
Thanks to paleontologists, we know about the existence of dinosaurs and other forms of life long before the presence of human beings on planet Earth.
14. Developmental Biologists
The passage from a zygote to an adult organism is a fascinating process, masterfully coordinated and repeated billions of times throughout the history of life. The study of the factors that determine these changes is carried out by developmental biologists, who use mainly computer and molecular techniques to study this process.
Bibliographic references
- Tobin, Allan, and Dusheck, Jennie, (1998), Asking About Life.
- Ernst Mayr (1982), The Growth of Biological Thought: Diversity, Evolution, and Inheritance.
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.