The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to biology:
Biology – study of living organisms. It is concerned with the characteristics, classification, and behaviors of organisms, how species come into existence, and the interactions they have with each other and with the environment. Biology encompasses a broad spectrum of academic fields that are often viewed as independent disciplines. However, together they address phenomena related to living organisms (biological phenomena) over a wide range of scales, from biophysics to ecology. All concepts in biology are subject to the same laws that other branches of science obey, such as the laws of thermodynamics and conservation of energy.
Branch of biology – subdiscipline of biology, also referred to as a biological science. Note that biology and all of its branches are also life sciences.
Aerobiology – study of airborne organic particles
Agriculture – study of producing crops from the land, with an emphasis on practical applications
Anatomy – study of form and function, in plants, animals, and other organisms, or specifically in humans
Animal anatomy
Mammal anatomy
Human anatomy – scientific study of the morphology of the adult human.
Marsupial anatomy
Carnivora#Distinguishing features
Bear#Morphology
Hyena#Build
Canidae#Anatomy
Dog anatomy
Gray wolf#Physical description
Golden jackal#Physical description
Even-toed ungulate#Anatomy
Odd-toed ungulate#Anatomy
Horse anatomy
Giraffe#Appearance and anatomy
Bioengineering – study of biology through the means of engineering with an emphasis on applied knowledge and especially related to biotechnology
Bioinformatics – use of information technology for the study, collection, and storage of genomic and other biological data
Biomathematics (or mathematical biology) – quantitative or mathematical study of biological processes, with an emphasis on modeling
Biomechanics – often considered a branch of medicine, the study of the mechanics of living beings, with an emphasis on applied use through prosthetics or orthotics
Biomedical research – study of health and disease
Pharmacology – study and practical application of preparation, use, and effects of drugs and synthetic medicines
Biomusicology – study of music from a biological point of view.
Bionomics – comprehensive study of an organism and its relation to its environment
Biosemiotics – the study of biological processes through semiotics, by applying the models of meaning-making and communication
Biotechnology – new and sometimes controversial branch of biology that studies the manipulation of living matter, including genetic modification and synthetic biology
Synthetic biology – research integrating biology and engineering; construction of biological functions not found in nature
Botany – study of plants
Phycology – scientific study of algae.
Plant physiology – subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants.
Building biology – study of the indoor living environment
Cell biology – study of the cell as a complete unit, and the molecular and chemical interactions that occur within a living cell
Cognitive biology – study of cognition as a biological function
Conservation biology – study of the preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment, natural ecosystems, vegetation, and wildlife
Chronobiology – field of biology that examines periodic (cyclic) phenomena in living organisms and their adaptation to solar- and lunar-related rhythms.
Cryobiology – study of the effects of lower than normally preferred temperatures on living beings.
Developmental biology – study of the processes through which an organism forms, from zygote to full structure
Embryology – study of the development of embryo (from fecundation to birth).
Gerontology – study of aging processes.
Ecology – study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with the non-living elements of their environment
Environmental biology – study of the natural world, as a whole or in a particular area, especially as affected by human activity
Epidemiology – major component of public health research, studying factors affecting the health of populations
Evolution – any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations.
Evolutionary biology – study of the origin and descent of species over time
Evolutionary developmental biology – field of biology that compares the developmental processes of different organisms to determine the ancestral relationship between them, and to discover how developmental processes evolved.
Paleobiology – discipline which combines the methods and findings of the natural science biology with the methods and findings of the earth science paleontology.
Paleontology – study of fossils and sometimes geographic evidence of prehistoric life
Genetics – study of genes and heredity
Epigenetics – study of heritable changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence
Genomics – discipline in genetics concerned with the study of the genomes of organisms.
Proteomics – large-scale study of proteins, particularly their structures and functions
Population genetics – study of changes in gene frequencies in populations of organisms
Ichnology – deals with traces of organismal behavior, such as burrows and footprints. It is generally considered as a branch of paleontology; however, only one division of ichnology, paleoichnology, deals with trace fossils, while neoichnology is the study of modern traces.
Integrative biology – study of whole organisms
Limnology – study of inland waters
Marine biology (or Biological oceanography) – study of ocean ecosystems, plants, animals, and other living beings
Microbiology – study of microscopic organisms (microorganisms) and their interactions with other living things
Bacteriology – study of bacteria
Parasitology – study of parasites and parasitism
Virology – study of viruses and some other virus-like agents
Molecular biology – study of biology and biological functions at the molecular level, with some cross over from biochemistry
Structural biology – branch of molecular biology, biochemistry, and biophysics concerned with the molecular structure of biological macromolecules
Morphology – In biology, morphology is a branch of bioscience dealing with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features.
Mycology – study of fungi
Oceanography – study of the ocean, including ocean life, environment, geography, weather, and other aspects influencing the ocean
Neuroscience – study of the nervous system, including anatomy, physiology, and pathology
Oncology – study of cancer processes, including virus or mutation, oncogenesis, angiogenesis and tissues remoldings
Photobiology – scientific study of the interactions of light (technically, non-ionizing radiation) and living organisms. The field includes the study of photosynthesis, photomorphogenesis, visual processing, circadian rhythms, bioluminescence, and ultraviolet radiation effects.
Population biology – study of groups of conspecific organisms, including:
Population ecology – study of population dynamics and extinction
Population genetics – study of changes in gene frequencies in populations of organisms
Palynology – analyses particulate samples collected from the air, water, or from deposits including sediments of any age. The condition and identification of those particles, organic and inorganic, give the palynologist clues to the life, the environment, and energetic conditions that produced them. It is the science that studies contemporary and fossil palynomorphs, including pollen, spores, orbicules, dinocysts, acritarchs, chitinozoans and scolecodonts, together with particulate organic matter (POM) and kerogen found in sedimentary rocks and sediments.
Pathobiology or pathology – study of diseases, and the causes, processes, nature, and development of disease
Parasitology – study of parasites and parasitism
Pharmacology – study and practical application of preparation, use, and effects of drugs and synthetic medicines
Physiology – study of the functioning of living organisms and the organs and parts of living organisms
Immunology – study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms.
Kinesiology – Kinesiology, also known as human kinetics, is the scientific study of human movement
Neurobiology – study of the nervous system, including anatomy, physiology and pathology
Neuroscience – interdisciplinary science that studies the nervous system
Behavioral neuroscience (or biological psychology) – application of the principles of biology (in particular neurobiology), to the study of physiological, genetic, and developmental mechanisms of behavior in humans and non-human animals. It typically investigates at the level of neurons, neurotransmitters, brain circuitry and the basic biological processes that underlie normal and abnormal behavior.
Histology – study of the microscopic anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals
Phytopathology – study of plant diseases (also called Plant Pathology)
Radiobiology – study of the action of ionizing radiation on living things.
Structural biology – a branch of molecular biology, biochemistry, and biophysics concerned with the molecular structure of biological macromolecules
Systematics – study of the diversification of living forms, both past and present, and the relationships among living things through time
Cladistics – method of classifying species of organisms into groups called clades, which consist of an ancestor organism and all its descendants (and nothing else)
Phylogeny – study of evolutionary relation among groups of organisms (e.g. species, populations), which is discovered through molecular sequencing data and morphological data matrices
Taxonomy – science of identifying and naming species, and arranging them into a classification.
Systems biology – - computational and mathematical modeling of complex biological systems.
Zoology – study of animals, including classification, physiology, development, and behavior. Subbranches include:
Arthropodology – biological discipline concerned with the study of arthropods, a phylum of animals that include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others that are characterized by the possession of jointed limbs.
Acarology – study of the taxon of arachnids that contains mites and ticks
Arachnology - scientific study of spiders and related animals such as scorpions, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, collectively called arachnids
Entomology - study of insects
Coleopterology – study of beetles
Lepidopterology – study of a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies (called lepidopterans)
Myrmecology – scientific study of ants
Carcinology - study of crustaceans
Myriapodology - study of centipedes, millipedes, and other myriapods
Ethology – scientific and objective study of animal behaviour, usually with a focus on behaviour under natural conditions
Tool use in animals
Animal cognition
Primate intelligence
Pinniped#Intelligence
Cetacean intelligence
Killer whale#Intelligence
Bottlenose dolphin#Intelligence
Common bottlenose dolphin#Intelligence
Rat#General intelligence
Sheep#Intelligence and learning ability
Animal sexual behavior
Non-reproductive sexual behavior in animals
Homosexual behavior in animals
Sexual behavior of mammals
Sexual behavior of dogs
Sexual behavior of wolves
Sexual behavior of golden jackals
Reproductive behavior of pinnipeds
Rut (mammalian reproduction)
Sexual behavior of deer
Sexual behavior of elk
Waterbuck#Reproduction
Chital#Breeding
Sexual behavior of elephants
Sexual behavior of spotted hyenas
Reproductive behavior of short-beaked echidnas
Helminthology – study of worms, especially parasitic worms
Herpetology – study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and gymnophiona) and reptiles (including snakes, lizards, amphisbaenids, turtles, terrapins, tortoises, crocodilians, and the tuataras).
Batrachology – subdiscipline of herpetology concerned with the study of amphibians alone
Ichthyology – study of fishes. This includes bony fishes (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fishes (Agnatha).
Malacology – branch of invertebrate zoology which deals with the study of the Mollusca (mollusks or molluscs), the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species after the arthropods.
Mammalogy – study of mammals, a class of vertebrates with characteristics such as homeothermic metabolism, fur, four-chambered hearts, and complex nervous systems. Mammalogy has also been known as "mastology," "theriology," and "therology." There are about 4,200 different species of animals which are considered mammals.
Cetology – branch of marine mammal science that studies the approximately eighty species of whales, dolphins, and porpoise in the scientific order Cetacea.
Physical anthropology – studies the physical development of the human species.
Primatology - scientific study of primates
Nematology – scientific discipline concerned with the study of nematodes, or roundworms
Ornithology – scientific study of birds.
Interdisciplines:
Biochemistry – study of the chemical reactions required for life to exist and function, usually a focus on the cellular level
Biophysics – study of biological processes through physics, by applying the theories and methods traditionally used in the physical sciences
Biogeography – study of the distribution of species spatially and temporally
Bioclimatology is the interdisciplinary field of science that studies the interactions between the biosphere and the Earth's atmosphere on time scales of the order of seasons or longer (by opposition to biometeorology).
Sociobiology – study of the biological bases of sociology
Psychobiology – study of the biological bases of psychology
Astrobiology – study of evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. Also known as exobiology, exopaleontology, and bioastronomy
History of biology
History of anatomy
History of biochemistry
History of biotechnology
History of ecology
History of genetics
History of evolutionary thought
History of molecular evolution
Modern evolutionary synthesis
History of medicine
History of model organisms
History of molecular biology
Natural history
History of plant systematics
Timeline of biology and organic chemistry
Ecology:
Autecology: autotroph — heterotroph — acclimatization — endotherm — ectotherm — hibernation — homeostasis — behavior — circadian rhythm
Population ecology: population — competition — mating — biological dispersal — endemism — niche — growth curve (biology) — carrying capacity
Community ecology: community — keystone species — mimicry — symbiosis — pollination — mutualism — commensalism — parasitism — predation — invasive species — environmental heterogeneity — edge effect
Ecosystems: biodiversity — biome — habitat — plankton — thermocline — carbon cycle — water cycle — nitrogen cycle — food web — trophic level — saprobe — decomposition
Life: origin of life — hierarchy of life - Miller–Urey experiment
Evolutionary biology (evolution):
Microevolution: species — speciation — adaptation — selection — natural selection — directional selection — sexual selection — genetic drift — sexual reproduction — asexual reproduction — colony — allele frequency — neutral theory of molecular evolution — population genetics — Hardy-Weinberg principle
Macroevolution: adaptive radiation — convergent evolution — extinction — mass extinction — fossil — taphonomy — geologic time — plate tectonics — continental drift — vicariance — Gondwana — Pangaea — endosymbiosis
Systematics: taxon — taxonomy — scientific classification — phylogeny — evolutionary tree — cladistics — synapomorphy — homology — molecular clock
(also known as Functional biology)
Nonliving organisms
Viruses : DNA viruses — RNA viruses — retroviruses
Groups of living organisms
Prokaryota
Domains Bacteria and Archaea
Domain Eukaryotas:
Kingdom Animalia
Vertebrates —Molluscs — Annelids — Arthropods — Sponges — Jellyfish
Kingdom Plantae
Kingdom Fungi
Kingdom Protista
Developmental biology : gamete — spermatid — ovum — zygote — embryo — cellular differentiation — morphogenesis —homeobox
Animal development: stem cell — blastula — gastrula — egg (biology) — fetus — placenta
Plant development: seed — cotyledon — meristem — apical meristem — vascular cambium — cork cambium
Morphology, anatomy and physiology:
Techniques: electrophysiology — electron microscopy
Tissues — Organs
Plant systems: root — shoot — stem — leaf — flower
vascular tissue — Casparian strip — turgor pressure — xylem — phloem — transpiration — wood
alternation of generations — gametophyte — antheridium — archegonium — sporophyte — spore — sporangium
tropism — taxis
Animal systems: skin cell
Skeletal system — bone — cartilage — joint — muscle — tendon — actin — myosin — reflex
Circulatory system — respiration — lung — heart — artery — vein — capillary — blood — blood cell
Digestive system — stomach — intestine — liver — nutrition — primary nutritional groups metabolism — kidney — excretion
Nervous system: limbic system — vestibular system — neuron — axon — dendrite — brain — eye — vision — audition — proprioception — olfaction — memory
nerve signaling: action potential — signal transduction — synapse — receptor
Endocrine system — hormone
Reproductive system — testes — ovary — pregnancy
Fish#Reproductive system
Mammalian reproductive system
Human reproductive system
Mammalian penis
Os penis
Penile spines
Genitalia of bottlenose dolphins
Genitalia of marsupials
Equine reproductive system
Even-toed ungulate#Genitourinary system
Bull#Reproductive system
Carnivora#Reproductive system
Fossa (animal)#External genitalia
Female genitalia of spotted hyenas
Cat anatomy#Genitalia
Genitalia of dogs
Canine penis
Bulbus glandis
Lymphatic system — lymph node
Immune system: antibody — host — vaccine — immune cell — AIDS — T-cell — leucocyte
Medicine:
Diseases: Cancer — Diabetes — Heart disease
Drugs: antibiotic — barbiturate — SSRI
Techniques: MRI — Computed axial tomography — blood test
Cellular and molecular biology
Cell biology: the cell coined by Robert Hooke
Techniques: cell culture — microscope — SEM — TEM
Cell Components:
Organelles: Cytoplasm — Vacuole — Peroxisome — Plastid
Cell nucleus
Nucleoplasm — Nucleolus — Chromatin — Chromosome
Endomembrane system
Nuclear envelope — Endoplasmic reticulum — Golgi apparatus — Vesicles — Lysosomes
Energy creators: Mitochondrion and Chloroplast
Biological membranes:
Plasma membrane — Mitochondrial membrane — Chloroplast membrane
Other subcellular features: Cell wall — pseudopod — cytoskeleton — mitotic spindle — flagellum — cilium
Cell processes:
Cell transport: Diffusion — Osmosis — isotonic — active transport — phagocytosis
Energy pathways: fermentation
Cellular respiration
Glycolysis — Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex — Citric acid cycle
Photosynthesis
Light-dependent reactions — Calvin cycle
Protein biosynthesis — ribosomes
Cellular reproduction: cytokinesis — centromere — meiosis
Nuclear reproduction: mitosis — interphase — prophase — metaphase — anaphase — telophase
programmed cell death — apoptosis — cell senescence
Biochemistry:
Biomolecules:
Small: amino acids — Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) — fats — lipids — oil — phospholipid — prion — sugar — vitamins — neurotransmitter — wax
Medium-sized:
pigments: chlorophyll — carotenoid — xanthophyll — melanin
Biopolymers/macromolecules
proteins: primary structure — secondary structure — tertiary structure — conformation — native state — protein folding — enzyme — receptor — transmembrane receptor — ion channel — membrane transporter— collagen — silk
DNA — RNA
polysaccharide: cellulose — carbohydrate — chitin — glycogen — starch
Biochemical mechanisms: proteolysis — cooperativity
Techniques: electrophoresis — protein tag —affinity chromatography — x-ray diffraction — Proteomics — mass spectrometry
Molecular biology:
genetic structure: DNA — DNA replication — nucleosome — genetic code — codon — transcription factor — transcription — translation — RNA — histone — telomere
gene expression — heterochromatin — promoter — enhancer — operon
mutation — point mutation — crossover — recombination —plasmid — transposon
molecular genetics: DNA fingerprinting — genetic fingerprint — microsatellite — gene knockout— imprinting — RNA interference
Genomics: computational biology — bioinformatics
Molecular Techniques: gel electrophoresis — transformation — PCR — PCR mutagenesis — primer — chromosome walking — RFLP — restriction enzyme — sequencing — shotgun sequencing — cloning — culture — DNA microarray
Genetics (classical genetics) :
heredity — Mendelian inheritance — gene — locus — trait — allele — polymorphism — homozygote — heterozygote — hybrid — hybridization — dihybrid cross — Punnett square
genotype-phenotype distinction — genotype — phenotype — dominant gene — recessive gene
genetic interactions — Mendel's law of segregation — genetic mosaic — maternal effect — penetrance — complementation — suppression — epistasis — genetic linkage
chromosomal effects: chromosome — haploid — diploid — polyploidy — dosage effect — inbreeding
Model organisms: Drosophila — Arabidopsis — Caenorhabditis elegans — mouse — Saccharomyces cerevisiae — Escherichia coli — Lambda phage — Xenopus — chicken — zebrafish — Ciona intestinalis — amphioxus
Techniques: genetic screen — DNA paternity testing — linkage map — genetic map
Charles Robert Darwin
Alfred Russel Wallace
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck
Gregor Mendel
Hugo De Vries
Aristotle
Carl Linnaeus
Konrad Lorenz
Robert Hooke
Louis Pasteur
Robert Koch
Marcello Malpighi
Ernst Haeckel
Alexander Fleming
Sydney Brenner
Linus Pauling
Frederick Sanger
Hans Adolf Krebs
Kary Mullis
Ernst Mayr
Theodosius Dobzhansky
Stephen Jay Gould
Francis Galton
Thomas Henry Huxley
James D. Watson
Francis Crick
Lynn Margulis
Carl Woese
Ronald Fisher
Sewall Wright
J. B. S. Haldane
Thomas Hunt Morgan
Edmund Beecher Wilson
Nettie Stevens
François Jacob
Jacques Monod
Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard
Eric F. Wieschaus
Alexander von Humboldt
Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza
Jacques Cousteau
Jane Goodall
Rockey Rajput
List of biologists
List of botanists by author abbreviation
List of carcinologists
List of coleopterists
List of ecologists
List of malacologists
List of mammalogists
List of mycologists
List of ornithologists
List of pathologists
List of zoologists by author abbreviation
List of Nobel Prize winners in physiology or medicine
