MODULE -1
PHYCOLOGY
1. Classification of algae - Fritsch and Smith
2. Recent trends in classifications
3. General features of algae - thallus organization,
vegetation, sexual and asexual reproduction and life
cycle
4. Pattern of life cycle and salient features of the
following classes: Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta,
Xanthophyta, Bacillariophyta, Phaeophyta and Rhodophyta
5. Economic importances of algae : Biofertilizers, Food
industry, Industrial and medicinal
importances, algal bloom
MYCOLOGY
1. Classification of fungi - Alexopoulos and Mims (1979),
Ainsworth and Bisby (1983)
2. General features of fungi - thallus structure, cell wall
structure, heterothallism, parasexuality and
reproduction
3. Salient features of following classes- Myxomycota,
Mastigomycota, Zygomycota, Ascomycota,
Basidiomycota and Deuteromycota
4. Fungal associations - symbiosis, saprophytism,
mycorrhiza, endophytes, lichens
5. Economic importances of fungi - degradation of pesticides
and wastes, decomposition of organic
matter, degradation of lignin, significances in medicine and
industry, fungal toxins and human health
PLANT PATHOLOGY
1. Principles of plant pathology - biotic and abiotic agents
and various symptoms of plant diseases
2. Process of infection and defense mechanisms - enzymes,
toxins, structural and biochemical defense
systems
3. Disease management - chemical, biological and quarantine
measures
4. Common diseases of crops in Kerala - paddy, coconut,
rubber, arecanut, pepper, ginger, cardamom,
coffee and tea
BRYOLOGY
1. General account on morphology, anatomy and life cycle of
the following groups: Hepaticopsida,
Anthoceratopsida and Bryopsida
2. Origin, evolution and economic importances of bryophytes
- indicators of pollution, horticulture,
medicine etc..
PTERIDOLOGY
1. General account on morphology, anatomy and life cycle of
the following groups -Psilopsida,
Psilotopsida, Lycopsida, Sphaenopsida and Pteropsida
2. Heterospory, seed habit, stelar evolution
3. Economic importances of pteridophytes - as
biofertilizers, in horticulture, medicine, ecological
indicators, as weed, in food industry
GYMNOSPERMS
1. General account on morphology, anatomy and life cycle of
the following groups -cycadopsida,
coniferopsida and gnetopsida
2. Economic importances of gymnosperms
MICROBIOLOGY
1. Bacteria: ultra structure, major groups, nutritional
types and reproduction
2. Viruses: ultrastructure, major groups, nutritional types,
replication
3. Brief account on phones, viroids, virions, mycoplasmas,
interferons, actinomycetes, bacteriophages
4. Economic importances of microbes- in ecology, food,
industry, medicine, agriculture and other
industries
PALAEOBOTANY
1. Geological time scale and evolution of plant groups
2. Types of fossilization
3. Fossil pteridophytes and gymnosperms
MODULE-II
ANGIOSPERM ANATOMY
1.Tissues - meristem, secretory and excretory tissues,
primary and secondary tissues
2. Anatomy of stem, root and leaf - both primary and
secondary structure in stem and root
3. Anomalous secondary growth in dicot and monocot stems
4. Brief account of nodal anatomy, wood anatomy and floral
anatomy
MICROTECHNIQUE
1. Tools in microtechnique -microscopy, micrometry, camera
lucida, cryostat, microtomes (rotary and
sledge)
2. Fixing, killing, dehydration, clearing, embedding,
staining and mounting - reagents used in each step
3. Brief account on vital staining, double staining, whole
mount, maceration and histochemical
tests for carbohydrates, proteins and lipids
EMBRYOLOGY
1. Microsporogenesis and male gametophyte development
2. Megasporogenesis and embryosac development
3. Pollination, fertilization and embryogeny in both
monocots and dicots
4. Endosperm types, polyembryony, parthenocarpy and apmixis
PALYNOLOGY
1. Ultrastructure of pollen wall, pollen morphology, - NPC
system of classification of pollen apertures
2. Contributions of Dr. PKK. Nair to palynology
3. Palynology in relation to taxonomy
4. Aeropalynology and melittopalynology and pollen allergy
PLANT BREEDING
1. Methods in crop improvement and achievements - plant
introduction, selection, mutation breeding,
polyploidy breeding and hybridization
2. Consequences of inbreeding, heterosis and incompatibility
3. Back cross breeding, resistance breeding (disease
resistance and stress resistance), vertical and horizontal
resistances
4. Seed production and certification, major centres of crop
production in India
5. Plant breeder's rights, national biodiversitypolicy
6. Methods of vegetative propagation of plants
EVOLUTION
1. Origin of life - theories of evolution, classical and
modern
2. Speciation
MODULE-III
TAXONOMY
1. Principles of taxonomy - plant nomenclature, taxonomic
hierarchy, phylogeny of angiosperms, taxonomic
keys
2. Classification systems - artificial, natural and
phylogenetic
3. Interdisciplinary approaches to angiosperm systematic
(anatomy, embryology, morphology, cytology,
palynology, chemotaxonomy, numerical taxonomy, molecular
taxonomy)
4. Study of the following families and their characteristic
features: Ranunculaceae, Magnoliaceae,
Capparidaceae, Polygalaceae, Cryophyllaceae, Malvaceae,
Leguminosae, Myrtaceae, Melastomaceae,
Cucurbitaceae, Rubiaceae, Asteraceae, Asclepiadaceae,
Boraginaceae, Lamiaceae, Amaranthaceae,
Euphorbiaceae, Orchidaceae, Scitamineae, Liliaceae,
Commelinaceae, Arecaceae, Araceae, Cyperaceae,
Poaceae.
MORPHOLOGY
1. Flower as a modifiedshoot
2. Floral whorls and their parts - fruits and seed
morphology
3. Vegetative morphology = leaf, root and stem
ECONOMIC BOTANY
1. Common cereals, millets and pulses
2. Vegetables, spices, beverages crops
3. Timbers, fibres, sugar and oil yielding crops
4. Medicinal plants
ETHONOBOTANY
1.Methods of ethnobotanical studies
2. Contributions of SK. Jain to ethnobotany
3. Common plants of ethnobotanical importance in Kerala
4. Sacred groves and their importance
PHYTOGEOGRAPHY
1. Factors affecting plant distribution
2. Phytogeographic zones of India
3. Soil, climate and vegetation of India
FOREST BOTANY
1. Major and minor forest products with special reference to
Kerala
2. Significances of forest on environment
3. Consequences of deforestation and industrialization
ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY
1. Habitat ecology - terrestrial, fresh water, wet land and
marine
2. Population ecology - community ecology and ecological
succession
3. Ecosystems - structure, function and types and biomes ,
4. Species interactions - competitions, herbivory,
carnivory, symbiosis etc..
5. Biogeochemical cycles and environmental pollution - air,
water and noise
6. Global environmental problems - ozone depletion, global
warming, acid rain, nuclear hazards, Elnino, climate change,
7. Environmental impact assessment and major programmes -
UNEP, IUCN, MAB, Earth Summit,
CBD
MODULE - IV
CELL AND MOLECULAR
BIOLOGY
1. A brief account on structure, function of cells and cell
organelles, - prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells,
cytoskeleton - organization and mobility
2. Origin, Ultrastructure and function of cell membrane,
cell organelles
3. Chemistry of chromosome - DNA, RNA, kinetochore, NOR and
constriction of
chromosomes
4. Numerical and structural variations of chromosomes
5. Cell divisions - stages, synaptonemal complexe, theories
and mechanism of crossing over and
molecular mechanism of crossing over
6. Cell differentiation - characteristics and mechanisms
7. Prokaryotic and eukaryotic DNA replication
8. Molecular nature of genes
9. Molecular tools for studying genes and gene activities
10. Techniques of DNA analysis - preparation of DNA and RNA
probes, hybridization,
autoradiography, DNA finger printing
11. DNA sequencing, chemical synthesis of nucleotides
12. PCR and FISH and their applications
GENETICS
1. Mendelian genetics and gene interation
2. Linkage and crossing over, gene mapping
3. Polygenic inheritance
4. Extra chromosomal inheritanace
5. Microbial genetics - transduction, transformation and
conjugation in bacteria, Lysogeny and lytic
cycle in viruses
6. Nucleic acids - DNA and RNA types, structure, function
and replication
7. Mutations, DNA damage and repair
8. Genetic code and gene expressions - protein synthesis,
gene regulations - prokaryotes and
eukaryotes
9. Translation, post translation and post transcription
10. Gene synthesis - Khorana -Kornberg
11. Population genetics - Hardey-Weinberg equilibrium -
genetic drift, genetic load, consanguinity and
its genetic effects
12. Human genetics - blood group systems - ABO, Rh and MN
blood groups, human karyotype and
syndromes caused by its aberrations, genetic counseling,
pedigree analysis
13. Brief account of human genome project
MODULE-V
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY
1. Water relation to plants - absorption and transpiration
of water - opening and closing of stomata -
factors affecting water transport
2. Mineral nutrition - hydroponics, aeroponics
3. Nitrogen metabolism in plants
4. Photosynthesis - C3, C4 and CAM cycle in detail,
photorespiration
5. Respiration - oxidative photophosphorylation
6. Ascent of sap - source and sink relationship
7. Growth and development - role of phytohormones,
photoperiodism, vernalization, florigines
8. Stress physiology - water, salt, hot and cold stress -
heat shock proteins, adaptations
9. Seed germination - physiological and biochemical changes
BIOCHEMISTRY
1. Carbohydrates - structure, function and metabolism, inter
conversion
2. Lipids - structure, function and metabolism, biosynthesis
of fatty acids, alpha and beta oxidation
3. Amino acids and proteins - structure and properties and
classification of amino acids and proteins,
amino acid metabolism, Ramachandran plot, verification of
proteins
4. Enzymes - major groups, relation of enzyme activity,
enzyme kinetics, assay, regulation, allosteric
enzymes, isoenzymes, ribioenzymes, coenzymes
5. Vitamins - classification, function and sources of
vitamins and their role as co-enzymes
BIOPHYSICS
1. pH and buffers
2. Microscopy - bright field, phase contrast, fluorescent
and electron microscope (SEM and TEM),
photometry, colorimetry
3. Chromatogram - gel filteration, ion exchange, affinity,
TLC, GC, HPLC, HPTLC, GCMS
4. Electrophoresis - AGE, PAGE, SDS-PAGE,
isoelectrofocusing, ELISA
5. Centrifugation - density gradient and ultra
centrifugation
6. Biophysical methods for analysis of biopolymers - x-ray
diffraction, fluorescent, NMR spectroscopy,
UV, visible and ESR spectroscopy, ORD/CD, atomic absorption
and plasma emission spectroscopy
7. Radiation dosimetry, radioactive isotopes,
autoradiography, Cerenkov radiation, liquid scintillation
techniques
BIOSTATISTICS
1. Sampling methods and errors
2. Process and presentation of data - tables and graphs
3. Measures of central tendency - mean, median, mode
4. Measures of dispersion - range, quartile deviation, mean
deviation, standard deviation and
coefficient of variations
5. Probability - basic concept, theorems
6. Experimental design - randomnized block, latin square
7. Tests of significance - T-tests, Chi-square, F-tests,
ANOVA
8. Correlation and regression analysis
MODULE - VI
BIOTECHNOLOGY
1. Plant tissue culture techniques - direct and indirect
regeneration
2. Somatic cell genetics and somatic clonal variations
3. Somatic embryogenesis - artificial seeds, protoplast
culture, somatic hybridization, impacts in plant
breeding
4. Haploid production- anther and ovule culture -
applications
5. Production of secondary metabolites - cell immobilization
- bioreactor technology, in vitro strategies
of germplasm conservation
6. Isolation of genomic and organellar DNA. Methods of gene
identification - vector mediated and
vectorless PCR, genomioc and cDNA libraries
7. Gene transfer techniques - direct and indirect
traspossors as vectors - gene silencing
8. DNA markers - RFLP, RAPD, AFLP and Antisense RNA
9. Blotting techniques - Northern, Southern and West
10. Transgenic biology - gene cloning and transformation
technique in plants-gene targeting and
sequence tag
11. Genetically modified organisms and foods, social and
ethical considerations, IPR issues, patents and
biopiracy
5. BIOINFORMATICS
6. Introduction to data structures, data base concepts,
tools for searching, homology searching
7. Application of databases in biology
8. Sequence databases .sequence comparison, structural
databases, proteomics and genomics
(elementary)
9. Major bioinformatic resources - NCBI, EBI, EMBL, GENBANK,
DDBJ, SWISSPROT, PDB
10. Tools in bioinformatics - BLAST, CLUSTAL -X, CLUSTAL-W,
Phylip, GENSCAN
11. Applications of bioinformatics - transcriptomix,
metabolomics, pharmacogenomics (brief account
only)
COMPUTER APPLICATIONS
1. Computer application in biology
2. Computer packages for biostatistics and numerical
taxonomy
3. Hardware and software parts of a computer
4. Internet online biology resources, public library of
sciences, online publications, electronic
journals and books
MODULE – VII
Recent developments in Botany
Practice more: HSST BOTANY PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS