Zoology

🧬 PG TRB Zoology – Unit-wise Syllabus

πŸ“˜ Unit 1 – Animal Diversity and Phylogeny

  • Species concepts, hierarchical taxa, biological nomenclature; structural organization: unicellular, colonial, multicellular; coelom, symmetry, metamerism.
  • Protozoa – structure & life history: Entamoeba histolytica, Plasmodium spp. (vivax/ovale/malariae/falciparum), Trypanosoma gambiense, Leishmania donovani.
  • Porifera canal systems; Coelenterata polymorphism & metagenesis; types of corals & coral reefs.
  • Helminths – structure & life history: Fasciola hepatica, Taenia solium, Wuchereria bancrofti, Ascaris lumbricoides.
  • Adaptive radiation in Polychaetes; torsion in gastropods; invertebrate larval forms & evolutionary significance.
  • Minor phyla – structure/affinities/life history: Ctenophora, Rotifera, Chaetognatha, Onychophora, Siphunculida, Entoprocta, Ectoprocta, Phoronida.
  • Chordata origin & outline classification; phylogeny & inter-relationships of Hemichordata, Urochordata, Cephalochordata; deuterostome relations; retrogressive metamorphosis.
  • Agnatha origin & evolution (ostracoderms, cyclostomes); early gnathostomes (placoderms).
  • Fishes – characters & classification; accessory respiratory organs; adaptive radiation in bony fishes.
  • Amphibia – origin, evolution, adaptive radiation; parental care.
  • Reptiles – origin & evolution; skull types & biosystematics; outline classification; poisonous vs non-poisonous snakes.
  • Birds – origin & evolution; origin of flight, flight adaptations; flightless birds.
  • Mammals – origin; Prototheria, Metatheria, Eutheria; aquatic adaptations.
  • Integument & derivatives (glands, scales, feathers, hair); comparative jaw suspension, girdles, limbs; comparative integument, brain, heart, urinogenital organs in vertebrates.

πŸ“ Take Test

πŸ“˜ Unit 2 – Entomology & Economic Zoology

  • Insects – general characters & classification up to Order with examples.
  • Beneficial insects: silkworm (species, rearing, diseases, by-products, economic importance); honeybees (species, modern hives, by-products, importance of honey/beeswax/propolis).
  • Harmful insects: pests of rice, cotton, sugarcane, coconut, stored grains; control – physical, mechanical, chemical, biological; IPM.
  • Poultry – breeds for egg/meat; common diseases.
  • Dairy – important Indian cattle breeds; white revolution; cattle diseases; dairy by-products.

πŸ“ Take Test

πŸ“˜ Unit 3 – Cell & Molecular Biology

  • Cell types; ultrastructure & functions: membrane, nucleus, ER, Golgi, lysosomes, mitochondria, ribosomes; cytoskeleton & motility.
  • Genes & chromosomes – chromatin structure, hetero/euchromatin, giant chromosomes.
  • Cell division & cycle – mitosis, meiosis, regulation, mitotic apparatus.
  • DNA (A/B/C/Z), RNA (t/m/r); replication; DNA repair.
  • Transcription & RNA processing (capping, splicing, poly-A, editing); genetic code; translation (initiation, elongation, termination, proofreading, inhibitors); post-translational modification.
  • Gene expression control – prokaryotes & eukaryotes (lac/trp operons, chromatin & silencing).
  • Cell communication – adhesion molecules, gap junctions, ECM, integrins.
  • Cell signalling – hormones, GPCRs, second messengers, pathway regulation.
  • Cancer biology – oncogenes, tumor suppressors, cell cycle, viral/chemical carcinogenesis, metastasis, interactions & therapies.
  • Apoptosis; ageing & senescence.

πŸ“ Take Test

πŸ“˜ Unit 4 – Genetics

  • Mendelian principles; alleles/multiple alleles/pseudoalleles; gene concepts (cistron, muton, recon).
  • Extensions – codominance, incomplete dominance, epistasis, pleiotropy, imprinting, penetrance/expressivity, phenocopy, linkage & crossing over, sex linkage/limited/influenced; sex determination in humans.
  • Gene mapping – linkage maps, tetrad analysis, molecular markers, somatic cell hybrids.
  • Cytoplasmic inheritance – mitochondria; maternal effects; Limnaea shell coiling; milk factor; endosymbionts (Kappa in Paramecium).
  • Microbial genetics – transformation, conjugation, transduction, sexduction; interrupted mating maps.
  • Human genetics – pedigrees, LOD score, karyotypes, genetic disorders & syndromes.
  • Mutation – types/causes/detection; lethal/conditional/biochemical; loss/gain-of-function; germinal vs somatic.
  • Chromosome alterations – deletion/duplication/inversion/translocation; ploidy; genetic implications.
  • Quantitative genetics – polygenes, heritability, QTL mapping; recombination (homologous/non-homologous, transposition).
  • Population genetics – Hardy–Weinberg (derivation, factors), allelic frequencies; animal breeding – inbreeding, outbreeding, heterosis.

πŸ“ Take Test

πŸ“˜ Unit 5 – Animal Physiology

  • Digestion & absorption (CHO, proteins, lipids), BMR, nutritional disorders.
  • Blood & circulation – composition, haemopoiesis/haemostasis, clotting.
  • Cardiovascular system – myogenic heart, cardiac cycle, pacemaker, pulse & BP, ECG; vessels – arteries/veins/lymphatics.
  • Respiration – structures (invertebrates; fish/birds/mammals), pigments, gas transport/exchange, regulation.
  • Muscle – fibre ultrastructure; contraction physiology.
  • Neurophysiology – CNS/PNS/ANS; neuron & impulse conduction, synapse & transmitters; brain & spinal cord; reflex; EEG.
  • Sensory – photo/mechano/gustato-receptors; echolocation; bioluminescence; mimicry & coloration; lateral line in fishes.
  • Renal – nitrogen excretion types; kidney/nephron; urine formation; counter-current; micturition; water/electrolyte balance.
  • Thermoregulation & stress – homeotherms/poikilotherms; acclimation/acclimatization; regulation; high-altitude & deep-sea adaptations.
  • Endocrinology – glands; peptide/steroid action, receptors & signalling; disorders; neuroendocrine control; invertebrate hormones.

πŸ“ Take Test

πŸ“˜ Unit 6 – Developmental Biology & Immunology

  • Gametogenesis; fertilization (recognition, mechanisms, types); cleavage, blastula, fate maps, gastrulation; parthenogenesis.
  • Morphogenesis & organogenesis (ecto/meso/endo-derivatives); role of genes; brain/eye/heart/kidney (amphibians, birds, mammals); post-embryonic development (larvae, metamorphosis frog/insect).
  • Regeneration (hydra, flatworms, salamanders); ageing; stem cells – properties, types, applications.
  • Human reproduction – organs, menstrual cycle, fertilization; infertility & ART (IUI, IVF, GIFT, ZIFT, ICSI, ET); twins; gamete cryopreservation; birth control.
  • Immunology – innate/adaptive cells & molecules; antigens/epitopes; antibodies (structure, types, functions), diversity, monoclonals, engineering; Ag-Ab interactions.
  • Lymphoid organs; MHC; antigen processing/presentation; B/T activation & differentiation; receptors; humoral & CMI; complement, TLRs, effectors; inflammation; hypersensitivity/autoimmunity/ID; vaccines & schedules.

πŸ“ Take Test

πŸ“˜ Unit 7 – Environment, Conservation & Management

  • Environment – physical/biotic; interactions; habitat & niche (width/overlap, realized vs fundamental, resource partitioning, character displacement).
  • Population ecology – growth, regulation, life-history strategies (r/K), metapopulations (demes, dispersal, extinctions), age structure; species interactions.
  • Community ecology – structure/attributes; diversity measures; edges & ecotones; succession (types, mechanisms, climax).
  • Ecosystems – structure/function; energy flow & C/N/P cycles; primary production & decomposition; Indian ecosystems (forest/grassland; freshwater/marine/estuarine).
  • Biogeography – biomes; island biogeography; Indian biogeographic zones.
  • Biodiversity – hotspots, flagship/keystone species, threats; conservation (in-situ/ex-situ, protected areas, parks/sanctuaries, red data, gene banks, threatened/endangered); Wildlife Protection Act 1972; Biological Diversity Act 2002; species strategies (elephant, tiger, olive ridley, white-rumped vulture, Gangetic dolphin).
  • Environmental issues – pollution; climate change impacts; buffer zones; sustainable development; carbon concepts (sink/credit/trading/budget); resource depletion; urbanization/deforestation/habitat loss; remote sensing & GIS.
  • Environmental management – summits & conventions; laws/acts; e-waste; clean energy (solar/wind/hydel/biofuel/hydrogen); waste management (hazardous/biomedical); standards (BS6, AQI, WQI); potable water & desalination.

πŸ“ Take Test

πŸ“˜ Unit 8 – Evolutionary Principles & Animal Behaviour

  • Lamarck & Darwin; variation, adaptation, struggle, fitness, natural selection; mutation & modern synthesis.
  • Origin of cells; abiotic synthesis (Oparin–Haldane; Urey–Miller); first cell; prokaryote/eukaryote origins.
  • Paleontology & timelines; primate evolution stages; human evolution & racial diversity.
  • Molecular evolution – neutrality, clocks; phylogenetic tools; sequence analysis; new genes/proteins; gene duplication/divergence.
  • Adaptive radiation; isolating mechanisms; speciation (allopatric/sympatric); convergent evolution; sexual selection; co-evolution.
  • Brain & behaviour – approaches; proximate/ultimate causation; altruism (group/kin/reciprocal).
  • Neural basis – learning, memory, cognition, sleep/arousal; biological clocks.
  • Behavioural development; communication; dominance; space/territoriality; mating systems; parental investment & care; aggression; habitat selection & optimal foraging; migration/orientation/navigation; domestication effects.

πŸ“ Take Test

πŸ“˜ Unit 9 – Biophysics & Biochemistry

  • Atoms, molecules, chemical bonds; stabilizing interactions (van der Waals, electrostatic, H-bond, hydrophobic).
  • Biophysical chemistry – pH, buffers, kinetics, thermodynamics, colligative properties.
  • Biomolecules – carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids (structure & function).
  • Bioenergetics – glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation, coupled reactions, group transfer, energy transducers.
  • Enzymes – classification, kinetics & regulation, mechanisms, isozymes, coenzymes/cofactors, inhibitors; metabolism of CHO/proteins/lipids.

πŸ“ Take Test

πŸ“˜ Unit 10 – Biostatistics

  • Data – primary/secondary; population vs sample; census vs sampling; variables (discrete/continuous).
  • Classification; frequency distributions; tabulation (parts/types); diagrams (bar, pie); graphs (histogram, polygon, curve, ogive).
  • Descriptive statistics – mean/median/mode; dispersion – range, QD, MD, SD (properties & computation).
  • Correlation – types; Pearson’s r, Spearman’s rank; simple regression (coefficients, equations, lines).
  • Probability – addition/multiplication; permutation & combination; distributions – binomial, Poisson, normal (properties).
  • Inference – hypotheses, Ξ±, df, errors; parametric/non-parametric; steps; Student’s t (one/two sample, paired); χ² (goodness-of-fit/expected values); F-test & ANOVA (one-way/two-way).

πŸ“ Take Test

πŸ“˜ Unit 11 – Biotechnology

  • Recombinant DNA technology – molecular tools, hosts; isolation/purification of nucleic acids; cloning vectors; gene transfer strategies; gene cloning; blotting (Southern/Northern/Western); PCR; gene libraries & screening.
  • DNA/RNA/protein analysis – DNA & protein sequencing; expression analysis (RNA/protein level), large-scale expression; microarray techniques; carbohydrate & lipid analysis; molecular markers (RFLP, RAPD, AFLP); Human Genome Project.
  • Healthcare biotech – gene therapy; DNA fingerprinting; biopharma products (therapeutic proteins, insulin), recombinant vaccines; monoclonal antibodies.
  • Industrial & enzyme biotech – microbial fermentation (low/high MW products); enzyme production; immobilization (enzymes/cells); therapeutic uses; biosensors; bioreactors.
  • Animal cell culture & applications; transgenic animals.
  • Biodegradation & bioremediation; IPR/patenting/trademark/copyright; GMOs & GM foods (pros/cons); microbial warfare/weapons & bioterrorism.

πŸ“ Take Test

πŸ“˜ Unit 12 – Tools and Techniques in Biology

  • Histochemical & immuno-techniques – antibody generation; ELISA, RIA, immunoprecipitation; flow cytometry; immunofluorescence microscopy; live-cell detection; FISH/GISH for in-situ localization.
  • Biophysical methods – UV/visible, fluorescence, circular dichroism, NMR & ESR spectroscopy; structure determination by X-ray diffraction & NMR; light scattering; mass spectrometry types; surface plasmon resonance.
  • Radiolabeling – detection/measurement of radioisotopes used in biology; incorporation into tissues/cells; molecular imaging of radioactive material; safety guidelines.
  • Microscopy – visualization of cells/subcellular components with light microscopy; resolving power of microscopes; live-cell microscopy; SEM/TEM; fixation & staining for EM; freeze-etch & freeze-fracture; image processing in microscopy.

πŸ“ Take Test