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ichthyology
zoology
- Key People:
- Louis Agassiz
- Eugenie Clark
- David Starr Jordan
ichthyology, scientific study of fishes, including, as is usual with a science that is concerned with a large group of organisms, a number of specialized subdisciplines: e.g., taxonomy, anatomy (or morphology), behavioral science (ethology), ecology, and physiology. Because of the great importance of fishes as human food, economic ichthyology is a significant segment of the field. The ancient Greek naturalists, especially Aristotle, were highly knowledgeable about many aspects of fish biology, and until the end of the 19th century the main advances were in taxonomy, as new species were described and the relationships of those already known were clarified. In ...(100 of 254 words)