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Life science is a significantly large field of study that studies all living things on planet earth. From animals to plants and other organisms, life science consists of everything pertaining to life forms in the past, present, and future and the biology behind how they live. According to an article on Artifacts, there are about 400,000 species of plants, 8.7 million species of animals, and endless species of viruses and bacteria. Due to there being so many different life forms, there are over 30 different branches of life sciences. Below we will take a look at a few of the major branches of life sciences as featured in an article on Artifacts.

  1. Ecology

Ecology is the study of the interactions between organisms and their surrounding environments. Some of the subjects in ecology include relationships within species, the food chain, and parasitic relationships. In addition, ecology analyzes organism population numbers, the distribution of those organisms, and biodiversity. The main goal of ecology is to create an accurate picture of how ecosystems function. Ecosystems can range from small pounds to extensive rainforests. 

  1. Botany

Botany is a sub-branch of biology that focuses on plants. This includes everything from algae to fungi, trees, grass, lichens, flowers, and more. There are also subdivisions of botany itself. Some botanists study plant ecology, some focus on plant biochemistry, and there is even a branch that sits in between the two. Additional subdivisions examine the details of plant evolution, genetics, anatomy, physiology, and morphology. 

  1. Zoology

Zoology is the study of all the animals in the kingdom. They examine the various characteristics of animals, including their migration patterns, breeding habits, behavior, habitats, and more. Zoology is what is used to identify new species of animals. While it is estimated that there are 8.7 million species of animals living on earth currently, scientists have only currently identified about 1.2 million species. All of the sciences mentioned crossover with different disciplines. These disciplines include entomology, genetics, and paleontology. Additionally, there are over a half-dozen subfields of zoology that zoologists can focus on. Some choose birds, while others examine mammals or fish or reptiles and more.