WBJEE Biological Science Syllabus 2015

Plants

• Movements of water, nutrients and gases : Absorption of gases, water and nutrients; cell-to-cell transport, diffusion, active transport; plant-water relation- imbibitions, water potential, osmosis and plasmolysis; long distance transport- apoplasitc, symplastic, root pressure, transpiration pull, uptake of minerals; transpiration and gullation; opening and closing of stomata; transport through xylem and phloem
• Essential minerals : Macro and micro nutrients and their functions; elementary idea of hydroponics; nitrogen metabolism; nitrogen cycle; biological nitrogen fixation
• Respiration : Cellular respiration – glycolysis, fermentation, TCA cycle and ETS (aerobic)- definition, process and significance; energy relation – number of ATP molecules generated in respiration; amphibolic pathways; respiratory quotients of nutrients
• Photosynthesis : Definition; site of photosynthesis; photosynthetic pigments (structure not required); photochemical and biosynthetic phases; photorespiration; C3 and C4 pathways; factors controlling photosynthesis
• Growth and development : Idea of growth, differentiation and development; various growth factors ( light, temperature, water, nutrients, hormones only ); growth rate; growth regulation – auxin, gibberellins, cytokinin, ethylene, ABA; seed germination, seed dormancy, vermilisation; photoperiodism- definition, types of plants on the basis of the length of photoperiod
• Reproduction : Mode of reproduction- sexual and asexual; asexual reproduction – definition, characteristics, modes (binary fission, sporulation, budding, gemmule formation, fragmentation, regeneration, vegetative propagation, cutting, grafting, layering and gootee); sexual reproduction – flower structure; pollination (autogamy and geitonogamy); cross pollination (allogamy and xenogamy); agents of pollination – brief description with examples; significance; development of male gametophyte and female gametophyte; out breeding devices; pollen-pistil interaction, double fertilization; post – fertilization events – development of endosperm and embryo (in brief); formation of fruit and development of seed ( elementary ); special modes – apomixes, parthenogenesis, parthenocarpy and polyembryony ( brief account ); significance of fruit and seed formation.
  Animals : Human
• Digestion and Absorption : Structure of human alimentary canal including dental arrangement and digestive glands ( in brief ); peristalsis; digestion, role of digestive enzymes and the Cr – I hormones in digestion; absorption, assimilation of carbohydrates, protein and fats; egestion; nutritional and digestive disorder – protein – energy malnutrition ( PEM ), indigestion, constipation, vomiting, jaundice, diarrhoea ( brief idea )
• Breathing and Respiration : Respiratory organs in animals ( in brief ); respiratory system in human ( outline ); mechanism of breathing and its regulation in human body; exchange of gases, transport of gases; regulation of respiration; respiratory volume; disorders related to respiration – asthma, emphysema, occupational respiratory disorders ( e.g. Silicosis, asbestosis ); definition of hypoxia, anoxia, apnoea, dyspnoea
• Body fluids and Circulation : Composition of blood (in tabular form); blood grouping; coagulation of blood; lymph and its function; outline idea of human circulatory system; structure of human heart and blood vessels; cardiac cycle, cardiac output, stroke volume, minute volume, determination of cardiac output – Fick’s principle; double circulation; regulation of cardiac activity ( neutral and hormonal ) including factors regulating blood pressure; disorders of circulatory system – hypertension, coronary artery disease, angina pectoris, heart failure ( brief idea only )
• Excretory Products and Their Elimination : Modes of excretion – ammonotelism, ureotelism, uricotelism ( definition and examples ); human excretory system- structure and function ( histology of nephron ); urine formation n and osmoregulation; regulation of kidney functions, rennin, angiotensin, antidiuretic factor ( ADH ) and diabetes insipidus; role of other organs in excretion – liver, skin, lung and salivary glands; disorders- uremia, renal failure, renal calculi, nephritis; dialysis and artificial kidney ( brief idea only ) 
• Locomotion and Movement : Types of movement – ciliary, flagellar and muscular; skeletal muscle – contractile proteins and its function; joints; disorders of muscular and skeletal system – myasthenia gravis, tetany, muscular dystrophy, arthritis, osteoporosis, and gout ( brief idea only )
• Neural Control and Coordination : Brief idea of neurons and nerves, neural control and coordination; nervous system of human – central, peripheral and visceral; brain and its major parts – cerebral cortex, thalamus, hypothalamus and limbic system; midbrain, pons, medulla, cerebellum and spinal cord ( outline idea ); distribution and function of peripheral nervous system and autonomic nervous system; generation and conduction of nerve impulse; reflex action and reflex arc; sense organs – sensory perception; outline structure and function of eye and ear
• Chemical Coordination and Regulation : Endocrine glands and hormones; human endocrine system – hypothalamus, pituitary, pineal, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, pancreas, gonads – location and function only; elementary idea of hormone action, role of hormones as messengers and regulators; hypo – and hyperactivity of endocrine glands and related diseases – dwarfism, acromegaly, cretinism, goitre, exophthalmic goitre, diabetes, Addison’s disease ( brief idea of cause and symptoms only )
• Reproduction : Male and female reproductive system ( outline idea with diagram ); microscopic anatomy of testis and ovary; gametogenesis (brief account); menstrual cycle; fertilization and development of embryo up to blastocyst formation; implantation, pregnancy and placenta formation; elementary idea of parturition and lactatio
• 
  
• Taxonomy, Systematics and Biodiversity : Definition; binomial nomenclature; Law of priority; need for classification; genetic diversity; species diversity, ecosystem diversity, biodiversity; five kingdom classification; salient features and classification of plants and animals. Ecology and Environment : Concept of ecology, ecosystem, environment, habitat and niche; biome concept and distribution; major abiotic factors; response to abiotic factors and adaptation; population interaction- mutualism, competition, predation, parasitism; population attributes- growth, birth rate and death rate; trophic relationship, pyramids of number, biomass and energy; ecological succession.
  Biodiversity and Conservation : Pattern of biodiversity; importance and loss of biodiversity; need of biodiversity conservation; hotspot; endangered species; extinction; Red Data Book and Green Data Book; biodiversity conservation – biosphere reserve, national parks and sanctuaries ( general idea )
  Environmental Issues : Sound, air, water pollution and their control; agrochemical and their effects; green house effect and global warming; ozone depletion; deforestation; idea of success stories addressing environmental issues – 1 ) Chipko Movement, 2) Dasholi Gram Swarajya Mandal Movement (DGSM), Silent Valley or Amrita Devi Bishnoi Movement (Jaipur); concept and biomagnifications and bioaccumulation; cause of dyslexia,
  Minamata and itai-itai diseases; idea of BOD, COD, acid rain, ozone hole.
  Microbes and Human Welfare : Morphological characteristics of bacteriophage ( T2 ), plant virus ( TMV ), animal virus ( influenza ) and bacteria ( E. coli ), gram negative and gram positive bacteria ( characteristics and examples )
  Health and Diseases : Concept of immune system, antibody, antigen and its reactions; types of immunity, vaccine and vaccination ( brief idea ); pathogens and parasites causing human diseases ( only causative agents, symptoms of diseases, modes of transmission and preventive measures )- malaria, kala azar, amoebiasis, filariasis, ascariasis, typhoid, pneumonia, common cold, ring worm, HIV, AIDS, cancer.
  Biotechnology and its Applications : Principle and process of genetic engineering ( recombinant DNA technology ); cloning of microbial genes ( brief idea only ); application of biotechnology in health and agriculture – in household food processing; industrial production, energy generation, sewage treatment; Rhizobium and other nitrogen fixing bacteria, biofertilizers and biopesticides, industrial production of curd; tanning and brewery, synthesis of antibiotics, vitamins, human insulin and vaccine production; gene therapy, transgenesis, transgenic animals and plants with examples ( including BT cotton ).
  
  Science of Life : Basic unit of life process; Cell Theory; prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells – structure and differences.
  Ultra structure and functions of cellular components : Cell wall, Plasma membrane, Plastid, Endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi bodies, Mitochondria, Ribosomes, Lysosomes, Nucleus, Centrosomes, Cilia, Flagella.
  Chemical constituents of living cells : Classification, components and structural properties of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids; enzymes, enzymatic action ( lock and key, allosterism, regulation )
  Chromosome : Morphology of chromosomes; brief idea of polytene chromosomes; euchromatin and heterochromatin; nucleic acids as genetic material ( viral transduction and bacterial transformation )
  Cell division : Cell cycle; mitosis – definition and significance ( process not required ); meiosis- process, types and significance; difference between mitosis and meiosis.
  
  Genetics and Evolution :
  Mendelian inheritance ( laws only ); deviations from Mendelism – (i) incomplete dominance, (ii) codominance, (iii) multiple alleles and inheritance of blood groups ( ABO, Rh ); phylogenetic inheritance ( elementary ); chromosome theory of inheritance; chromosomes and genes; sex determination in humans, birds and honey bees; linkage and crossing over; sex-linked inheritance – haemophilia, colour blindness; Mendelian disorders in humans – (i) autosomal (a) Thalassemia (b) Down syndrome; (ii) sex-linked (a) Turner’s syndrome (b) Klinefelter’s syndrome ( cause and symptoms only )
  Molecular basis of inheritance :
  DNA as the genetic material ( Griffith, Avery – MacLeod – McCarty and Hershey – Chase experiments ); structure of DNA and RNA; types of RNA – mRNA, rRNA and t-RNA; DNA packaging; central dogma ( elementary ); DNA replication; transcription; genetic code; translation; elementary knowledge of regulation of gene expression (lac operon); DNA finger printing ( basic idea only )
  Evolution :
  Origin of life – theories of origin of life; abiogenic origin / chemical origin of life – Oparin- Haldane hypothesis; biological evolution – evidences, theories of organic evolution, Darwin’s contribution, synthetic theory; mechanism of evolution – variation and its sources of origin, mutation, recombination; gene flow and genetic drift; Hardy – Weinberg principle; human evolution – an outline.
  Morphological variations and structural organization : Plant tissue and tissue system- types, structure and functions; animal tissue- classification, structure and functions in brief.