Unit I Taxonomy, Animal Diversity and Applied Zoology
Module 1.
Taxonomy
Classical taxonomy; Modern trends in taxonomy
(numerical, cladistics, molecular taxonomy); phylogenetic tree.
Scientific classification of organisms (five
kingdom and three-domain systems);
Biological nomenclature; ICZN. Homonymy and
Synonymy ; Law of priority.
Concepts of species and hierarchical taxa.
Molecular Systematics (Mitochondrial DNA and
Ancestral Polymorphisms, RFLP,
RAPD, AFLP & VNTR, Alternate Molecular Approaches,
Allozyme polymorphism,
Microsatellite Loci.) DNA barcoding and tree of
life.
Module 2.
Animal Diversity
Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes.
Levels of organization-cellular, tissue and organ.
Symmetry,Coelom and Metamerism.
Broad classification of animal kingdom: Mesozoa,
Parazoa and Eumetazoa (Radiata, Bilateria); Protostomia (Acoelomata, Pseudocoelomata
and Eucoelomata),
Deuterostomia.
Salient features of the phyla: Mesozoa,Porifera,
Cnidaria, Ctenophora,
Platyhelminthes, Nematoda,Nematomorpha,
Rotifera, Annelida,Echiurida, Mollusca, Onychophora,
Arthropoda, Echinodermata, Chaetognatha, Phoronida,
Hemichordata,
Chordata : Cephalochordates and Urochorates,
Pisces, Amphibians, Reptiles,
Birds and Mammals-origin, adaptive radiation
and distribution.
Module 3.
Applied Zoology
Insect pests: Pests of crops (coconut,
paddy, rubber, sugar cane), Pests of stored food grains, Pest control - chemical,
biological and Integrated Pest Management.
Sericulture, Species of silkworms, Composition
of silk, Silkworm rearing
techniques.
Apiculture, Species of honey bees, Beekeeping
methods, Useful products from
honey bees.
Fisheries and aquaculture: Marine and Fresh water
fishes, Fish breeding techniques, Finfish and Shell Fish culture, Different
types of fish farming, Ornamental fishes and Aquarium keeping, Fishing crafts
and gears.
Unit II
Evolution, Ecology, Biodiversity and Ethology
Module 1.
Evolution
Origin and evolution of life
Evolutionary time scale
Theories and modern concepts of organic evolution:
Classical and synthetic theories of evolution.
Mechanisms of evolution, Micro and Macro evolution,
Co- evolution.
Genetic drift; Bottle-neck effect;
Punctuated equilibrium, Neutral theory, Molecular Clock.
Species and speciation, Adaptive radiation and
Animal distribution.
Human Evolution-hominid fossils and cultural
evolution.
Module 2.
Ecology
Ecosystem: Characteristics of ecosystem, Concepts
of Habitat and Niche.
Structure and Stability of ecosystem.
Food chain and food web; Biological magnification
and its effects.
Energy flow, Productivity and Ecological pyramids.
Biogeochemical cycles: gaseous cycles and sedimentary
cycles.
Ecological succession: Types, changes involved
in succession, concept of climax.
Population ecology: characteristics of populations
and population growth curves.
Community ecology: community structure and
attributes; edge effects and ecotone.
Animal interactions: Positive, negative and neutral
interactions.
Pollution: Water, Air, Soil, Noise, and Radioactive
pollution- causes and
consequences.
Solid waste management.
Major Environmental Issues: Green house effect,
Acid rain, Ozone depletion, Global warming and Climate change; causes and consequences.
Conventional and Non-Conventional Energy Resources.
Environmental Impact Assessment; ecosystem
monitoring and applications of
remote sensing in environment management.
Major international environmental conventions/
treatises and organisations
Module 3.
Biodiversity
Concepts and levels of biodiversity.
Measurement of biodiversity and biodiversity
hotspots.
Values and threats to biodiversity.
Conservation strategies (in-situ and ex-situ
conservation).
Forest conservation, Wildlife management, Sustainable
Development.
Module 4.
Ethology
Motivation and Learning: Imprinting, habituation,
imitation, classical conditioning, instrumental/operant conditioning,
cognitive learning, latent learning, insight learning.
Complex Behaviour: Orientation, Navigation and
Homing, Migration (Fishes and Birds),
Biological rhythms-biological clock, Circadian,
Circannual, Lunar, Tidal and
Seasonal periodicities. Pheromones and chemical
communication.
Unit III
Physiology, Immunology and Developmental Biology
Module 1.
Physiology
Nutrition: Types of nutrition, Digestion: mechanical
and chemical digestion,
Digestive glands and enzymes. Neural and hormonal
control of digestion, Absorption of sugars, amino acids and fats.
Respiration: Respiratory pigments, Transport
of O2 and CO2, Bohr Effect,
chloride shift. Neural and chemical respiratory
disturbances.
Body fluids and Circulation: Types of heart,
hear beat, conducting system and pace makers. Common cardiovascular diseases.
Composition of blood and Blood groups, Physiology
of blood clotting, Control of
cardiac activity. Lymph and lymphatic system
Excretion: Patterns of nitrogen excretion, Structure
of kidney, Ultrastructure of
nephron, Mechanism of urine formation, Normal
and Abnormal constituents of urine and renal disorders. Osmoregulation and regulation
of kidney function.
Muscle physiology: Types of muscles, Ultrastructure
of skeletal muscle, Muscle
contraction and properties of cardiac and smooth
muscles. Simple muscle twitch,
summation, tetanus, tonus and fatigue.
Neurophysiology- Structure of neuron, Generation
and transmission of nerve
impulse, Synapses, Synaptic transmission and
Neurotransmitters, Reflex action.
Endocrine system: Endocrine glands and hormones,
classification of hormones, Mode of action of hormones, Hormone disorders and
Feedback control.
Sense organs: Structure of eye, Physiology of
vision, Visual elements and pigments; Eye defects. Structure of ear, mechanisms
of hearing and balancing. Hearing impairments. Olfactory, gustatory and tactile
senses.
Reproductive Physiology: Male and female reproductive
organs, Puberty, Adolescence, Menstrual cycle, Pregnancy, Parturition, Lactation
and Birth control. Hormonal control of reproduction.
Module 2.
Immunology
Organs and tissues of immune system.
Types of immunity: Innate, acquired,Humoral
and cell-mediated immunity.
Antigens and antibodies: Structure of antibodies,
Antigen-antibody interactions.
Complement system, General features, MHC,
General organization and inheritance of MHC.
Hypersensitivity, Immunodeficiency andAutoimmunity.
Module 3.
Developmental Biology
Gametes and gametogenesis, Types of eggs, Fertilization
and Fertilization events.
Cleavage, Blastulation and Gastrulation: Types
of cleavage, Cleavage patterns, Types of blastula, Fate map, Cell movements and
Organogenesis.
Basic concepts of development: Potency of embryonic
cells, Competence, determination and differentiation, Genomic equivalence, Cytoplasmic
control of nuclear activity, Primary embryonic induction, Nieukoop centre and
mesodermal polarity.
Different types of Placenta.
Parthenogenesis: Natural and artificial parthenogenesis,
Factors inducing
parthenogenesis.
Experimental embryology: Constriction experiments,
Experiments on embryonic
induction and competence, Cloning experiments in animals, Medically assisted
reproductive techniques.
· Prenatal
diagnosis and Teratogenesis.
· Basic biology of stem cells: Types and sources of
stem cells with characteristics; Induced pleuripotent
stem cells and stem cell therapy.
· Water as a biological solvent: Biological importance, pH and Acid - base balance.
Buffers and its biological significance.
· Classification and Structure of Carbohydrates.
· Metabolism of Carbohydrates: Glycolysis, Krebs cycle, electron transport chain, Pentose phosphate pathway, Gluconeogenesis, Glycogenolysis, Glycogenesis, biological significance.
· Classification, Structure and Biological Importance of Lipids.
· Metabolism of Lipids: Beta-oxidation of fatty acids, Biosynthesis of fatty acids. Biologically important Steroids, Prostaglandins.
· Proteins: Structure, classification and properties of amino acids, Proteins: Structure and Classification-Primary, Secondary and tertiary structure, Ramachandran plot.
· Metabolism of Amino acids and Proteins: Metabolism of Amino acids, Urea cycle, regulation of urea cycle, Deamination, Transamination and Decarboxylation.
· Vitamins: Classification, Function and Deficiency disorders.
· Enzymes: Classification and Nomenclature, Enzyme Kinetics, Regulation of enzyme activity, Enzyme inhibition, Zymogenes, Isozymes, Coenzymes and Ribozymes,
Module 2. Biophysics
· Diffusion, Osmosis and Viscosity
· Bioenergetics: Laws of Thermodynamics (Entropy, Enthalpy, Concept of Free energy, ATP as a free energy carrier)
· Radiation Biology: Ionizing radiation, units and measurement, exposure and radiation dosimeter, autoradiography, Liquid Scintillation counter.
· Microscopy, Light, Phase Contrast, Fluorescent Microscopes, Transmission and
Scanning electron microscopes.
· Chromatography: Principles and Application, Column, Ion exchange, TLC,
HPLC, Gas and Affinity chromatography.
· Electrophoresis: Paper, SDS –PAGE and Agarose Gel electrophoresis.
· Colorimeter, Spectrophotometer, Flame photometer, Atomic absorption
spectrophotometer, Infra-red spectrophotometry, NMR and EMR
spectroscopy
· Centrifuge: Ordinary, high- speed centrifuges, Density gradient
centrifugationn, Ultracentrifugation
· Radioimmunoassay: ELISA, Electrophysiological methods: ECG, EEG, MRI
Module 3: Biostatistics
· Measures of central tendency: Arithmetic mean, median and mode
· Measures of dispersion : Mean and Standard deviation, Standard error
· Testing of hypotheses: Concepts of Normal, Binomial and Poisson distribution; Student’s –t test, One-way ANOVA, Concepts and applications of correlation and regression, Chi-square test.
· Mendelian principles: critical evaluation.
· Interaction of genes: Allelic interactions: incomplete dominance, codominance, Nonallelic interactions: complementary gene action, epistasis, duplicate gene and polygenes.
· Multiple alleles: coat colour in rabbits, Rh blood group inheritance.
· Linkage and crossing over: Linkage groups, complete and partial linkage, Crossing over and recombination –Mechanisms of crossing over, kinds of crossing over.
Mutation- Chromosomal aberrations and gene
mutations, molecular basis, causes and significance.
Extra chromosomal inheritance: Characteristics;
maternal inheritance of
cytoplasm, plastid genome, mitochondrial genome,
Kappa particles in Paramecium, Maternal effects.
Sex linked inheritance: characteristics, examples:
haemophilia, colour blindness;
holandric genes.
Sex determination: Chromosomal basis and genic
balance theory, Types of chromosomal mechanism,
Dosage compensation, Barr bodies, Lyon hypothesis.
Human genetics: Genetic disorders in man, Chromosomal
anomalies (autosomal and sex chromosomal), Single gene disorders (autosomal and
sex linked, inborn errors in metabolism).
Human genome project.
Module 2.
Biotechnology
History and concept of biotechnology, Vectors,
Plasmids, Bacteriophage, Cosmids, Shuttle vectors, Yeast vectors, Minichromosomes,
Artificial chromosomes, Probes and molecular markers,
Properties and type of Isozymes, RFLP, RAPD,
AFLP, VNTR, Minisatellites,
Microsatellites
Techniques in Genetic Engineering: Selection
and isolation of desired genes, Gene splicing, Introduction of rDNA into host,
Selection of clone containing DNA insert, DNA Finger printing, DNA sequencing,
Chromosome jumping, Genomic library, cDNA library.
Gene cloning: Cloning techniques in animals,
cloning in bacteria and eukaryotes,
Amplification of DNA by PCR, gene transfer technology,
and expression of induced genes, Restriction enzymes its applications and ligases.
Applications of Biotechnology: Blotting techniques
(Southern, Northern, Western),
Genetic engineering and its applications. Diagnosis
of diseases, Detection of genetic disorders, Gene therapy, Metabolites production,
Bio controls agents, Biofuel, biogas Transgenic animals- Production and use;
Ethics in biotechnology, Patenting, biological materials and IPR.
Module 3.
Microbiology
Diversity and Ultra structure of Bacteria.
Microbial Nutrition and Growth, Use of microbes
in medical, biotechnological,
industrial and agricultural fields.
Antibiotics and antimicrobial drugs.
Virology : classifications, structure and replication,
Strategies, Viral pathogens,
infections, symptoms, Anti-viral
strategiesprevention and control of viral diseases.
Unit VI Cell
Biology, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics
Module 1.
Cell biology
Cell and cell theory, Structure and function
of cell membrane, Organization based on fluid mosaic model.
Membrane transport - diffusion, active transport,
ion pumps, bulk transport.
Differentiation of cell membrane:
microvilli, tight junctions, belt and spot desmosomes, gap junctions.
Cell organelles: Structure and function, Nucleus
- nuclear envelope, nuclear pore
complex, Mitochondria , Golgi apparatus, Ribosomes,
Lysosomes, Endoplasmic
reticulum, Peroxisomes and Centriole.
Cytoskeleton: Microtubules, microfilaments and
intermediate filaments; molecular motors.
Cell Division- Mitosis, meiosis, Cell cycle
and regulation of cell cycle, Cancer – Types and causes, Oncongenes and Tumour
suppresser genes.
Cell signalling, signalling molecules,
second messengers, ligands and receptors.
Chromosome-Structure, types, Euchromatin, heterochromatin,
Nucelosome, condensation and coiling.
Module 2.
Molecular biology
Nucleic acids: DNA - structure and Conformations
of DNA
DNA replication in prokaryotes and eukaryotes,
replication machinery,
mechanisms and repair.
RNA - Types of RNA and functions.
Genome organisation- Exons, introns, overlapping
genes and transposons.
Genetic code- characteristic features, deciphering
genetic code, reading frame and frame shift.
Protein synthesis: Central dogma, Transcription,
Transcription factors,
Transcription activators and repressors, RNA polymerases,
capping, elongation and termination. Post-transcriptional processing in eukaryotes.
Translation: Mechanism, initiation complex, elongation and termination, Post-translational
modifications of proteins.
Regulation of gene expression in bacteria. Operon
model: lac operon, constitutive mutants, Catabolite repression.
Regulation of gene expression in eukaryotes.
Transcription factors, histones, acetylation and de acetylation. Regulation at transcriptional
and translational level.
Antisense RNA strategies- siRNA, miRNA.
Module 3.
Bioinformatics
Nature and scope of Bioinformatics: Biological
databases-DNA, RNA and
Proteins- PDB, Swiss-PROT, GenBank, EMBL, NCBI
and Entrez.
Sequence alignment and use of BLAST, FASTA
and CLUSTALW; Homology
modeling, molecular phylogenetics and tree construction.
Searching of database for sequence similarity.
Introduction to genomics and proteomics DNA
and protein Microarrays.
Computational tools for gene finding, protein
structure prediction, RNA structure prediction; computational drug discovery.
