Most biological sciences are specialized disciplines. Traditionally, they are grouped by the type of organism being studied: [[botany]], the study of plants; [[zoology]], the study of animals; and [[microbiology]], the study of microorganisms. The fields within biology are further divided based on the scale at which organisms are studied and the methods used to study them: [[biochemistry]] examines the fundamental chemistry of life; [[molecular biology]] studies the complex interactions of systems of biological molecules; [[cellular biology]] examines the basic building block of all life, the [[cell (biology)|cell]]; [[physiology]] examines the physical and chemical functions of the tissues and organ systems of an organism; and [[ecology]] examines how various organisms and their environment interrelate. | Most biological sciences are specialized disciplines. Traditionally, they are grouped by the type of organism being studied: [[botany]], the study of plants; [[zoology]], the study of animals; and [[microbiology]], the study of microorganisms. The fields within biology are further divided based on the scale at which organisms are studied and the methods used to study them: [[biochemistry]] examines the fundamental chemistry of life; [[molecular biology]] studies the complex interactions of systems of biological molecules; [[cellular biology]] examines the basic building block of all life, the [[cell (biology)|cell]]; [[physiology]] examines the physical and chemical functions of the tissues and organ systems of an organism; and [[ecology]] examines how various organisms and their environment interrelate. |