| I. Diversity of Living Organisms |
- The Living World: What is living? Biodiversity; Need for classification; Three domains of life; Taxonomy and systematics; Concept of species and taxonomical hierarchy; Binomial nomenclature and tools for study of taxonomy.
- Biological Classification: Five kingdom classification; Salient features and classification of Monera, Protista and Fungi into major groups; Lichens, Viruses and Viroids.
- Plant Kingdom: Salient features and classification of plants into major groups - Algae, Bryophyta, Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae and Angiospermae.
- Animal Kingdom: Salient features and classification of animals, non-chordates up to phyla level and chordates up to class level.
|
| II. Structural Organization in Animals and Plants |
- Morphology and Anatomy of Flowering Plants: Morphology and modifications; Morphology of different parts of flowering plants: root, stem, leaf, inflorescence, flower, fruit and seed; Anatomy and functions of different tissues and tissue systems.
- Structural Organisation in Animals: Animal tissues; Morphology, anatomy and functions of different systems (digestive, circulatory, respiratory, nervous and reproductive) of animals.
|
| III. Cell: Structure and Function |
- Cell - The Unit of Life: 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; Structure and function of all cell organelles.
- Cellular Respiration: Glycolysis, fermentation (anaerobic), TCA cycle and electron transport system (aerobic); Energy relations – number of ATP molecules generated; Amphibolic pathways; Respiratory quotient.
- Biomolecules: Chemical constituents of living cells – biomolecules, structure and function of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids; Enzymes – types, properties, enzyme action.
- Cell Cycle and Cell Division: Cell cycle, mitosis, meiosis and their significance.
|
| IV. 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, mass flow hypothesis.
- 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 and Respiration in Higher Plants: Photosynthesis as a means 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; Exchange of gases.
- 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; Seed dormancy; Vernalisation; Photoperiodism.
|
| V. 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.
- Breathing and Exchange of Gases: 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.
- 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.
- 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 of excretory system; Dialysis and artificial kidney, kidney transplant.
- Locomotion and Movement: Types of movement - ciliary, flagellar, muscular; Skeletal muscle - contractile proteins and muscle contraction; Skeletal system and its functions; Joints; Disorders of muscular and skeletal system.
- 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; Structure and functions of sense organs.
- Chemical Coordination and Integration: Endocrine glands and hormones; Human endocrine system; Mechanism of hormone action; Role of hormones as messengers and regulators; Hypo- and hyperactivity and related disorders.
|
| VI. Reproduction |
- Reproduction in Organisms: Reproduction, a characteristic feature of all organisms for continuation of species; Modes of reproduction - asexual and sexual reproduction; Asexual reproduction - binary fission, sporulation, budding, gemmule formation, fragmentation; Vegetative propagation in plants.
- Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants: Flower structure; Development of male and female gametophytes; Pollination - types, agencies and examples; Outbreeding devices; Pollen-pistil interaction; Double fertilization; Post-fertilization events - development of endosperm and embryo, development of seed and formation of fruit; Special modes - apomixis, parthenocarpy, polyembryony; Significance of seed dispersal and fruit formation.
- Human Reproduction: Male and female reproductive systems; Microscopic anatomy of testis and ovary; Gametogenesis - spermatogenesis and oogenesis; Menstrual cycle; Fertilization, embryo development up to blastocyst formation, implantation; Pregnancy and placenta formation; Parturition; Lactation.
- Reproductive Health: Need for reproductive health and prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs); Birth control - need and methods, contraception and medical termination of pregnancy (MTP); Amniocentesis; Infertility and assisted reproductive technologies - IVF, ZIFT, GIFT.
|
| VII. Genetics and Evolution |
- Heredity and Variation: Mendelian inheritance; Deviations from Mendelism – incomplete dominance, co-dominance, multiple alleles and inheritance of blood groups, pleiotropy; Elementary idea of polygenic inheritance; Chromosome theory of inheritance; Chromosomes and genes; Sex determination - in humans, birds and honey bee; Linkage and crossing over; Sex-linked inheritance; Mendelian disorders in humans.
- Molecular Basis of Inheritance: DNA as genetic material; Structure of DNA and RNA; DNA packaging; DNA replication; Central dogma; Transcription, genetic code, translation; Gene expression and regulation - lac operon; Genome; DNA fingerprinting.
- Evolution: Origin of life; Biological evolution and evidences for biological evolution (paleontology, comparative anatomy, embryology and molecular evidences); Darwin's contribution, modern synthetic theory of evolution; Mechanism of evolution - variation (mutation and recombination) and natural selection with examples, types of natural selection; Gene flow and genetic drift; Hardy-Weinberg's principle; Adaptive radiation; Human evolution.
|
| VIII. Biology and Human Welfare |
- Human Health and Diseases: Pathogens; Parasites causing human diseases (malaria, dengue, chikungunya, filariasis, ascariasis, typhoid, pneumonia, common cold, amoebiasis, ringworm) and their control; Basic concepts of immunology - vaccines; Cancer, HIV and AIDS; Adolescence - drug and alcohol abuse.
- Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production: Improvement in food production: Plant breeding, tissue culture, single cell protein, biofortification, apiculture and animal husbandry.
- Microbes in Human Welfare: In household food processing, industrial production, sewage treatment, energy generation and microbes as bio-control agents and bio-fertilizers; Antibiotics; Production and judicious use.
- Biotechnology – Principles, Processes and Applications: Genetic Engineering (Recombinant DNA Technology); Application of biotechnology in health and agriculture: Human insulin and vaccine production, stem cell technology, gene therapy; Genetically modified organisms - Bt crops; Transgenic animals; Biosafety issues, bio-piracy and patents.
|
| IX. Ecology and Environment |
- Organisms and Populations: Organisms and environment: Habitat and niche, population and ecological adaptations; Population interactions - mutualism, competition, predation, parasitism; Population attributes - growth, birth rate and death rate, age distribution.
- Ecosystems: Patterns, components; Productivity and decomposition; Energy flow; Pyramids of number, biomass, energy; Nutrient cycles; Ecological succession; Carbon fixation, pollination, seed dispersal.
- Biodiversity and its Conservation: Biodiversity - concept, patterns, importance; Loss of biodiversity; Biodiversity conservation; Hotspots, endangered organisms and extinction.
- Environmental Issues: Air pollution and its control; Water pollution and its control; Agrochemicals and their effects; Solid waste management; Radioactive waste management; Greenhouse effect and climate change - impact and mitigation; Ozone layer depletion; Deforestation.
|
