B.Sc. Zoology Scheme Overview

B.Sc. Zoology (Honors) - Scheme Overview

• The program follows the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS).

Semester-I

• Core Course-1 focuses on Biology of Non-Chordata-I, Protista to Pseudo coelomates, with 4 credits.
• Core Course-2 covers Principles and Ethics of Ecology, also with 4 credits.
• Lab Works for Semester-I, designated CC1 and CC2 (Practical), accounts for 4 credits.
• GE-1 (Generic Elective) is from another subject and has 6 credits.
• AECC-1 (Ability Enhancement Compulsory) is Environmental Science, comes with 2 credits.

Semester-II

• Core Course-3 explores Biology of Non-Chordata-II Coelomate Nonchordates, 4 credits.
• Core Course-4 is Physiology: Life Sustaining Systems, 4 credits.
• Lab Works are CC3 and CC4 (Practical), resulting in 4 credits.
• GE-2 (Generic Elective) is drawn from another subject with 6 credits
• AECC-2 (Ability Enhancement Compulsory) is MIL Communication and has 2 credits.

Semester-III

• Core Course-5 focuses on Biology of Chordata, worth 4 credits.
• Core Course-6 involves Physiology: Controlling and Coordinating System, 4 credits.
• Core Course-7 details Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates, 4 credits.
• Lab Works are CC5, CC6, and CC7 (Practical), accounting for 6 credits.
• GE-3 (Generic Elective) is Environment and Public Health, contains 4 credits.
• The corresponding Lab Work GE-3(Practical), comes with 2 credits.
• SEC-1 (Skill Enhancement Course) is Economic Zoology, has 2 credits.

Semester-IV

• Core Course-8: Biochemistry of Metabolic Processes is worth 4 credits.
• Core Course-9: Cell Biology is worth 4 credits.
• Core Course-10: Principles of Genetics is worth 4 credits.
• Lab work includes CC8, CC9 and CC10 (Practical), summing 6 credits
• GE-4 (Generic Elective) is an external subject and comes with 4 credits.
• Lab GE-4 Practical, results in 2 credits.
• SEC-2 (Skill Enhancement Course) is Public Health and Hygiene and comes with 2 credits.

Semester-V

• Core Course-11 focuses on Developmental Biology, comes with 4 credits.
• Core Course-12 explores Molecular Biology, comes with 4 credits.
• CC11 and C12 (Practical) are the lab works for this section, worth 4 credits.
• Discipline Specific Electives (DSE), any one of: Animal Behaviour or Animal Biotechnology, worth 4 credits each.
• DSE Lab: 4 credits in practice.

Semester-VI

• Core Course-13 explores Immunology, worth 4 credits.
• Core Course-14 will detail Evolutionary Biology, worth 4 credits.
• DSE lab work contributes 4 credits.
• Electives: Microbiology or Project, chosen from any of the Discipline Specific Electives to a value of 4 credits.
• Further Lab and/or Project accounts for 2 or 6 credits respectively

CORE COURSE: ZOOLOGY Paper I: Biology of Non-Chordata-I Protista to Pseudo coelomates

• Theory: 4 credits
• Practicals: 2 credits

Unit 1: Phylum Protozoa, Parazoa, and Metazoa

• General features and classification up to classes detailed.
• Includes, lifestyle, pathogenicity and prophylaxis of Plasmodium vivax, Trypanosomatids, and Entamoeba Histolytica.
• Locomotion, reproduction and origin of Metazoa in Protozoa are covered.

Unit 2: Phylum Porifera and Ctenophora

• Covers general features and classification up to classes.
• Focuses on canal systems in sponges.
• Evolutionary significance of Ctenophora reviewed.

Unit 3: Phylum Cnidaria

• Includes general characteristics and classification up to classes
• Metagenesis in Obelia is discussed.
• Cnidarian polymorphism is detailed.
• Explores corals and coral reefs.

Unit 4: Phylum Helminthes

• Includes general features and classification up to classes
• Lifecycle, pathogenicity, and prophylaxis of Fasciola hepatica and Ascaris lumbricoides detailed, with parasitic adaptations.
• “BarnesRD (1982)InvertebrateZoology. 5thEdition” will be used for classification.

PRACTICALS

• Protozoa: Paramecium morphology, binary fission, and conjugation, with life stages for specified parasites.
• Porifera: Sycon anatomy, Hyalonema, and Euplectella, and slides of spicules and fibers.
• Cnidaria: Study Obelia, Physalia, and specified others.
• Ctenophora: Examination of any specimen or slide.
• Helminthes: Adult Fasciola hepatica, Taenia solium, and related slides reviewed.

Paper II: Principles and Ethics of Ecology

• Theory: 4 credits
• Practicals: 2 credits

Unit 1: Introduction to Ecology

• Relevance and history of ecology reviewed.
• Autecology and synecology are discussed.
• Levels of organization, laws of limiting factors detailed.
• Temperature and light as physical factors studied.

Unit 2: Population

• Unitary and modular populations detailed Unique and group attributes of population.
• Attributes: density, natality, mortality.
• Analysis includes: life tables, fecundity tables, survivorship curves, age ratio, sex ratio, and dispersion.
• Covers: exponential/logistic growth, and patterns, with 'r' and 'K' strategies.
• Includes population regulation; density-dependent and independent factors.
• Includes population interactions; with lab and field examples.

Unit 3: Community

• Focuses on community characteristics.
• Characteristics: dominance, diversity, species richness, and abundance.
• Also includes: stratification, ecotone and edge effect, and theories pertaining to climax community.

Unit 4: Ecosystem

• Types of ecosystems Food chains covered.
• Includes detritus and grazing food chains.
• Includes linear and Y-shaped food chains.
• Explores food webs.
• Energy flow through the ecosystem mapped.
• Ecological pyramids and efficiencies examined.
• Nutrient and biogeochemical cycles (nitrogen and sulfur) detailed.

Practicals include

• Survivorship curve analysis
• Population density using the quadrat method; diversity using the Shannon-Weiner index
• Aquatic ecosystem study: assessing fauna, flora, temperature, turbidity/light penetration, determination of pH, dissolved oxygen content (Winkler method), chemical oxygen demand, and free CO2

PAPER III: Biology of Non-Chordata-II Coelomate Nonchordates

• General features and classification up to classes.
• Evolution of Coelom covered.
• Metamerism and excretion in Annelida.

Unit 2: Phylum Arthropoda and Onychophora

• General features and classification to classes specified.
• Vision in Arthropoda discussed.
• Respiration in Arthropoda detailed.
• Larval forms in Crustacea.
• General characteristics and affinities of Peripatus.

Unit 3: Phylum Mollusca

• Focus on general characteristics and classification to classes.
• Respiration in Mollusca.
• Torsion in Gastropoda.
• Evolutionary significance of trochophore larva explored.

Unit 4: Phylum Echinodermata

• General features and classification to classes specified.
• Water-vascular system in Asteroidea.
• Larval forms in Echinodermata and evolutionary significance.
• Reference is “Barnes, R.D. (1982). InvertebrateZoology, 5th Edition, Holt SaundersInternational Edition."

Practicals:

• Identification of Aphrodite, Nereis, and others.
• T.S. anatomy through pharynx, gizzard etc. in earthworm.
• Slides of crop in leech.
• Limulus, Palamnaeus, Daphnia, among others to be microscopically studied.
• Any specimen slide of Onychophora.
• The classification of Chiton, Dentalium, Pila and selected others.
• Slides of Echinoderm larvae, and study/ slides of, Pentaceros, Asterias, among others.

Paper IV: Physiology: Life Sustaining Systems

• Unit-1: Structural organization, histology, and functions of the gastrointestinal tract detailed.
• Focuses on mechanical and chemical digestion of food.
• Covers absorptions of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, water, minerals, and vitamins and gastrointestinal hormones on enzyme secretion.

Unit 2: Respiratory System

• Focuses on mechanism of respiration and pulmonary ventilation.
• Includes transport of oxygen in the blood.
• Details oxygen-hemoglobin and myoglobin, dissociation curve, and factors influencing it.
• Other topics include: carbon-monoxide poisoning, carbon-dioxide transport, buffering action of blood, and respiration control.

Unit 3: Excretory System

• Covers the structure of the kidney and histological details plus blood supply.
• Mechanism of urine formation and regulation covered.
• Focuses on regulation on acid-base balance.

Unit 4: Circulatory System

• The components of blood and their functions listed plus haemopoiesis.
• Haemostasis and Coagulation discussed.
• Structure of the heart and cardiac cycle described.
• Blood pressure and regulation covered plus electrocardiogram.

Practicals Include

Enumeration of red blood cells/ haemoglobin tests.

• Preparation related to haemochromogencrystals.
• Blood pressure recording/ sections Mammalian tissues.

Paper V - Biology of Chordata

• Unit 1: This unit outlines protochordates and cyclostomes; hemichordata, urochordata, and cephalochordata detailed.
• Retrogressive metamorphosis in urochordata then reviewed.
• Outlines structural peculiarities of Petromyzon and Myxine

Unit 2

• Summarizes pisces and amphibia; chondrichthyes and osteichthyes classification specified.
• Covers: Migration and osmoregulation for specified genera
• Details tetrapoda evolution
• Parental care in amphibians reviewed.

Unit 3

• Outlines general reptile and Aves features
• Summarizes adaptations for avian flight and Archaeoptyeryx as linking migration.

Unit 4

• Mammalian general features and classification order defined to include affinities of prototheria and metatheria.
• Mammalian dentition reviewed; and the adaptive radiation relating to the locomotory system appendaged.

Skills

• Chordata proto specimens with Balanoglossus.
• Includes sections through amphioxous (Amphixious?) related to regions.

Animals

• Petromyzon/myxine, then Sphyrna and Pristis
• Reviews Necturus through salamandra.
• Concludes with bats etc.

Paper VI. Controlling and Coordinatingsystem in Physiology

• Theory is 4 Credits
• Practical component is 2 Credits

The Four Sections

• Features and location of specialized connective cells in specialized muscle and nervous tissues; glandular structure for bone and cartilages.
• A neuron action section: Describes membrane and synaptic transmission/physiology for hearing/ vision.
• Outlines the differences in tissue for skeletal type etc. Includes molecular details for muscle activity, characteristics and summation
• Notes histo-functional of glands; hormones involved, classification, and neuroendocrine gland and thalamus.

Skills

• Demonstrates reflex action of the nervous system
• Prepares mounts regarding types and features squamous tissue
• Assesses spinal and nerve types of cell samples.

Course: Zoology Paper VII

• Focus on comparative anatomy with 2 credits for practice and 4 for theory

Topic Components

• Inegumentary/skeletal systems focus on functions relating to integument, with axial and appendicular notes for jaw vertebrates.
• Focus on comparative channels and related glands/ tissues related for certain organisms, and their air/lung/gills/skin.
• Outlines urinogenal circulation of major components related to aorta and other heart features; kidney, plus ducts for amniotes are compared.
• Finally discusses the nervous system relating to vertebrates.

Skills Component

• Includes slides based on ctenoid scale types (placoid etc.)
• Includes Fowl/Varanus dissections of skeleton.
• Mammalian skulls and tortoise segments as well.

Paper VIII: Biochemistry of Metabolic Processes

Carbohydrate Catabolism

• Includes pathways, cycles and types of system.

Lipid functions

• Reviews saturated even- and odd- carbon molecules and their impact, relating to palmitic acid.

Protein notes

Enzyme studies

• Enzyme behavior: kinematics with enzyme interference.
• Oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondrial action with ATP production.

Practice

• Characterizes carbohydrates with group tests. Enzymatic performance based on pH.