Zoology or Microbiology? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Microbiology

Virology is the study of viruses not only for humans but animals and plants too. A microbiologist in this field may be studying the common cold, vaccines, and agricultural diseases.

Viruses are the most common entities on Earth and are so small that you likely need an electron microscope to see them. Virus growth is exponential with high mutation rates so their study is essential to control the spread.

Answer: Microbiology

If you majored in protistology, you would be studying eukaryotic cells which are not classified as plant or animal. These include things like muscle cells, stem cells, fungus cells, micro-algae, and even cancer cells. These all fall under the broad category of microbiology.

These eukaryotic cells can be found from the depths of the ocean to inside human intestines so their study is essential for life on our planet.

Answer: Zoology

Who shows love to the study of snails, slugs, clams, mussels, squids, octopuses, and oysters? Malacology is the study of molluscs and invertebrates. These are all classified as animals and studied in zoology.

Conchology is a similar field but primarily concerns with the shells of some of these animals. Malacologists have discovered over 100,000 species of these often soft celled species.

Answer: Zoology

Marine biologists and ichthyologists are often mistaken for each other. Marine biologists study marine life including animals and plants that live in the water. The study of ichthyology is concerned with the study of fish. The root word "ikhthus" means "fish" and "logos" means "study".

An ichthyologist studies how fish fit into the aquatic ecosystem, understands their biodiversity, and looks at ways of conservation.

Answer: Microbiology

Maybe the most well known of all of the choices in the quiz, immunology is the study of the immune system. It is a branch of microbiology that studies how to protect our bodies, save our organs, and identify potential cures for afflictions that harm us.

Studies in this field would include the structure of the immune components, research in disorders like allergies and immune deficiencies, and even study of how it relates to organ transplant.

Answer: Microbiology

Microbiology deals with microbes, things seen under a microscope. Bacteria are members of the Monera family and one celled organisms that do not contain a nucleus.

Studies in this field would look at the DNA of bacteria, mutations, interactions with other cells, and antibiotic resistance.

Answer: Zoology

Carcinology sounds as if it belongs in microbiology as a study of cancer cells. But actually carcinology is the study of crustaceans like shrimp, lobster, crabs, and crawfish. These are all animals that fall under the zoology category.

The ancient Greek term "karkinos" means "crab" not cancer. Carcinology is a sub-discipline of arthropodology.

Answer: Zoology

Ornithology is the study of birds and a major zoological field. There are well over 10,000 species of birds in the world and an ornithologist could spend a lifetime just studying deeply a few types.

Graduate degrees in ornithology include the study of avian behavior, ecology, and genetics. Classifying different bird types, studying how they fit into our ecosystem, and their natural instincts are typical studies in ornithology.

Answer: Microbiology

Mycology is the study of molds, yeasts, and fungi. Mycologists study everything from the single cells of yeast to the more complex fungi like mushrooms. Some of these fungi are harmful to humans and plants so research is essential.

At the same time, we need fungi for nutrient cycling, fermentation, and even in development of antibiotics like penicillin.

Answer: Zoology

Primatology is the study of primates which include humans, apes, gorillas, and chimpanzees. Some may confuse this field with anthropology which is the study of humans alone. So there is an overlap between the two biological groups.

There are over 500 species in the primate category and their study includes behavior, conservation, and the biological makeup of each.