What is the Difference Between Biology and Microbiology

The main difference between biology and microbiology is that biology is the field of science, which primarily concerns living organisms and non-living things associated with living organisms whereas microbiology is a sub-field of biology which mainly concerns microorganisms. Furthermore, biology is a diverse field while microbiology is far more specific than biology.

Biology and microbiology are two fields of science which study the structure, functioning, and various interactions of different types of living organisms.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Biology
     – Definition, Study Areas, Importance
2. What is Microbiology
     – Definition, Study Areas, Importance
3. What are the Similarities Between Biology and Microbiology
     – Outline of Common Features
4. What is the Difference Between Biology and Microbiology
     – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Abiotic, Biology, Biotic, Microbiology, Microorganisms, Multicellular Organisms

What is Biology

Biology is one of the diverse fields of science, which studies about all living organisms on the earth. Therefore, it concerns organisms that are visible to the naked eye as well as small organisms that are not visible to the naked eye. For example, biology studies animals, plants, protozoa, fungi, bacteria, and other microorganisms. Hence, biologists use different tools including the microscope to study these organisms.

Figure 1: Interactions Between Living Organisms

In biology, living organisms are studied under various aspects including their evolution, anatomy, functioning, and various interactions they made with each other and with the non-living environment. Here, biotic factor includes all the living organism on the earth while abiotic factor includes all the non-living things in the environment, interacting with the living organisms. Some of the main sub-fields of biology are cell biology, evolution, genetics, homeostasis, biochemistry, etc.

What is Microbiology

Microbiology is a subfield of biology which studies living organisms that are too small to observe with the naked eye. Generally, this type of organisms is known as microbes, and these include protozoa, algae, fungi, bacteria, archaea, virus, and prions. Moreover, as only microorganisms are studied in microbiology, it is a more specific field of science. Also, since these organisms are not observable with the naked eye, the main tool used by microbiologists for most of the observations is the microscope.

Figure 2: Microorganisms on an Agar Plate

In addition to the morphology and the physiology of microorganisms, microbiology studies the effect of microorganisms on living organisms including humans. Therefore, microbiologists often study the immune system as well.

Similarities Between Biology and Microbiology

• Biology and microbiology are two fields of science which study the living organisms.
• Also, both fields study the origin, distribution, structure, functioning, and interactions of different living organisms.

Difference Between Biology and Microbiology

Definition

Biology refers to the study of living organisms, divided into many specialized fields that cover their morphology, physiology, anatomy, behavior, origin, and distribution while microbiology refers to the study of microorganisms, which are unicellular or cell-cluster microscopic organisms. Thus, this is the main difference between biology and microbiology.

Type of Organisms Studied

Furthermore, biology studies about all types of living organisms on earth and their interactions with non-living things while microbiology studies about microorganisms. Hence, this is another difference between biology and microbiology.

Correspondence

In addition, biology is a diverse field of science while microbiology is a branch of biology.

Specificity

Another difference between biology and microbiology is that biology is less specific to a group of organisms while microbiology is more specific to microorganisms.

The Use of Microscope

Moreover, biological studies use both naked eye and the microscope while microbiological studies primarily use the microscope.

Conclusion

Biology is a diverse field of biology, which studies all types of living organisms on the earth and their interactions with other organisms and the non-living environment. On the other hand, microbiology is a sub-field of biology, which studies the organisms that are not visible to the naked eye and their interactions with other organisms. Therefore, the main difference between biology and microbiology is the study area of each field.

References:

1. Bagley, Mary. “What Is Biology?” LiveScience, Purch, 9 Aug. 2017, Available Here
2. “What Is Microbiology?” Microbiology Society, Available Here

Image Courtesy:

1. “Common clownfish” By Janderk – Photographed by Jan Derk (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia  
2. “Agar plate with colonies” (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia