Life sciences are a constantly expanding field of science.
New technologies and advances in research open up new avenues through which to obtain information about living beings and their relationship with the environment, which translates into a wide range of specialisations available to biologists.
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 you’re just interested in how much this science encompasses, you’re in luck.
How many types of biologists are there?
There is an enormous variety of specializations within the field of biology. In fact, within the different classifications that we present to you there are still more subdivisions of biologists, which are not contemplated 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 biologyas it concerns those who study animals. Zoologists study animals by observing their morphology, classification, behaviour and development, usually specializing in a small range of organisms.
Some examples of zoologists would include entomologists, who study insects, mastozoologists, who study mammals in general, or ornithologists, who study birds. Most commonly, 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 aetiology, the study of behaviors of living beings. An ecologist could study, for example, the effects of an arboreal population on rainfall in the surrounding area, or the trophic 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 can ensure programmes for the reintroduction of missing species of an ecosystem, or even be responsible for a population of wild animals 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 industrial, pharmaceutical, clinical and even food safety protocols.
Microbiology has undergone several revolutions in recent decades that have catapulted their importanceThese include the implementation of ever faster, cheaper and more effective genetic analysis technologies, the discovery of CRISPR genetic editing systems, and increasing antibiotic resistance.
5. Biochemicals
Biochemists are the biologists who are in charge of studying the chemical processes that occur in relation to living beings. This includes in particular the metabolism of organismsfor example by describing the metabolic pathways necessary for life.
6. Molecular Biologists
Molecular biologists are in charge of studying life from a 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 causes. propagation dynamics. Epidemiologists are especially needed today, due to rising temperatures in much of the inhabited areas and the globalization of society.
8. Botanical
Botanists are all the biologists in charge of studying plants in their different aspects, from their physiology to their ecological relationships, genetic composition, evolutionary history and possible applications at an industrial level.
9. Bioinformaticians
Bioinformaticians are those biologists who specialize in the use of computer tools to analyze large amounts of data at an overwhelming 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: It is a lot of complicated data 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 disseminators such as Jacques Cousteauwho familiarized the population with this branch of biology. They’re in charge of studying marine life.
11. Mycologists
Mycologists are the type of biologist who is in charge of the study of mushrooms. This branch of biology is usually accompanied by botany, although 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 about 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 often limit themselves to studying how life could take place in different environments, such as Mars. For this, they are based on data obtained from extremophilic life formsThey give us clues about the range of conditions in which life can take place.
13. Paleontologists
Paleontologists are those scientists in charge of studying the fossil record and draw conclusions about the living conditions, morphology, ethology and development of the different beings that are reflected in these geological accidents.
Thanks to the paleontologists we know about the existence of dinosaurs and other forms of life very prior to the presence of humans 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.