Diversity of Living Organism
What is living? Biodiversity; Need for classification; three domains of life; taxonomy and systematics; concept of species and taxonomical hierarchy; binomial nomenclature; tools for study of taxonomymuseums, zoological parks, herbaria, botanical gardens.
Five kingdom classification; Salient features and classification of Monera, Protista and Fungi into major groups: Lichens, Viruses and Viroids. Salient features and classification of plants into major
groups - Algae, Bryophyta, Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae and Angiospermae (three to five salient and distinguishing features and at least two examples of each category); Angiosperms - classification upto class, characteristic features and examples.
Salient features and classification of animals non chordates up to phyla level and chordates up to class
level (three to five salient features and at least two examples of each category).
(No live animals or specimen should be displayed.).
Structural Organisation in Animals and Plants
Morphology and modifications: Tissues; anatomy and functions of different parts of flowering
plants: root, stem, leaf, inflorescence, flower, fruit and seed (to be dealt along with the relevant
practical of the Practical Syllabus).
Animal tissues: Morphology, anatomy and functions of different systems (digestive, circulatory,
respiratory, nervous and reproductive) of an insect (cockroach). (a brief account only)
Cell Structure and Function
Cell theory and cell as the basic unit of life: Structure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells; Plant
cell and animal cell; Cell envelope, cell membrane, cell wall; Cell organelles - structure and function;
endomembrane system, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi bodies, lysosomes, vacuoles; mitochondria,
ribosomes, plastids, microbodies; cytoskeleton, cilia, flagella, centrioles (ultrastructure and function);
nucleus, nuclear membrane, chromatin, nucleolus. Chemical constituents of living cells: biomolecules,
structure and function of proteins, carbodydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, enzymes, types, properties,
enzyme action.
Cell division: Cell cycle, mitosis, meiosis and their significance.
Plant Physiology
Transport in plants; Movement of water, gases and nutrients; cell to cell transport, Diffusion,
facilitated diffusion, active transport; plant-water relations, Imbibition, water potential, osmosis,
plasmolysis; long distance transport of water - Absorption, apoplast, symplast, transpiration pull,
root pressure and guttation; transpiration, opening and closing of stomata;Uptake and translocation
of mineral nutrients - Transport of food, phloem transport, massflow hypothesis; diffusion of gases.
Mineral nutrition: Essential minerals, macro- and micronutrients and their role; deficiency symptoms;
mineral toxicity; elementary idea of hydroponics as a method to study mineral nutrition; nitrogen
metabolism, nitrogen cycle, biological nitrogen fixation.
Photosynthesis: Photosynthesis as a mean of autotrophic nutrition; site of photosynthesis, pigments
involved in photosynthesis (elementary idea); photochemical and biosynthetic phases of
photosynthesis; cyclic and non cyclic photophosphorylation; chemiosmotic hypothesis;
photorespiration; C3 and C4 pathways; factors affecting photosynthesis.
Respiration: Exchange of gases; cellular respiration - glycolysis, fermentation (anaerobic), TCA
cycle and electron transport system (aerobic); energy relations - number of ATP molecules generated;
amphibolic pathways; respiratory quotient.
Plant growth and development: Seed germination; phases of plant growth and plant growth rate;
conditions of growth; differentiation, dedifferentiation and redifferentiation; sequence of
developmental processes in a plant cell; growth regulators - auxin, gibberellin, cytokinin, ethylene,
ABA; seed dormancy; vernalisation; photoperiodism.
Human Physiology
Digestion and absorption: Alimentary canal and digestive glands, role of digestive enzymes and
gastrointestinal hormones; Peristalsis, digestion, absorption and assimilation of proteins, carbohydrates
and fats; calorific values of proteins, carbohydrates and fats; egestion; nutritional and digestive
disorders - PEM, indigestion, constipation, vomiting, jaundice, diarrhoea.
Breathing and Respiration: Respiratory organs in animals (recall only); Respiratory system in
humans; mechanism of breathing and its regulation in humans - exchange of gases, transport of gases
and regulation of respiration, respiratory volume; disorders related to respiration - asthma, emphysema,
occupational respiratory disorders.
Body fluids and circulation: Composition of blood, blood groups, coagulation of blood; composition
of lymph and its function; human circulatory system - Structure of human heart and blood vessels;
cardiac cycle, cardiac output, ECG; double circulation; regulation of cardiac activity; disorders of
circulatory system - hypertension, coronary artery disease, angina pectoris, heart failure.
Excretory products and their elimination: Modes of excretion - ammonotelism, ureotelism,
uricotelism; human excretory system - structure and function; urine formation, osmoregulation;
regulation of kidney function - renin - angiotensin, atrial natriuretic factor, ADH and diabetes insipidus;
role of other organs in excretion; disorders - uraemia, renal failure, renal calculi, nephritis; dialysis
and artificial kidney.
Locomotion and movement: Types of movement - ciliary, flagellar, muscular; skeletal musclecontractile
proteins and muscle contraction; skeletal system and its functions; joints; disorders of
muscular and skeletal system - myasthenia gravis, tetany, muscular dystrophy, arthritis, osteoporosis,
gout.
Neural control and coordination: Neuron and nerves; Nervous system in humans - central nervous
system; peripheral nervous system and visceral nervous system; generation and conduction of nerve
impulse; reflex action; sensory perception; sense organs; elementary structure and functions of eye
and ear.
Chemical coordination and regulation: Endocrine glands and hormones; human endocrine system
- hypothalamus, pituitary, pineal, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, pancreas, gonads; mechanism of
hormone action (elementary Idea); role of hormones as messengers and regulators, hypo - and
hyperactivity and related disorders; dwarfism, acromegaly, cretinism, goiter, exophthalmic goiter,
diabetes, Addision's disease.
Note: Diseases related to all the human physiological systems to be taught in brief.