Syllabus (ZOOLOGY)

Course Type: ME-3

Semester: 3

Course Code: BZOOMEB23C

Course Title: Ecology and Evolution 

(L-P-Tu): 2-2-0

Credit: 4

Practical/Theory: Combined

Course Objective:

Learning Outcome: Course outcomes: Become familiar with the variety of ways that organisms interact with both the physical and the biological environment.  Develop an understanding of the differences in the structure and function of different types of ecosystems. Develop

Ecology and Evolution

Theory - 2 credits

Course objective: Basic concept of how animals interact with their surroundings and what are the factors that regulates the extremely complex multi species dynamics in which each species and individual plays a specific role is absolute necessity to understand impact of human activities, fragility of a system and its outcome, possible ways of restoration and management. Ecological awareness and knowledge how complex interconnected biotic and abiotic components of nature ultimately regulates global outcomes is thus a necessary part of any biological course.

Elementary and fundamental idea regarding how forces of nature and ecological, biological interactions continuously push individual, species and groups to change characteristics to prevent extinction and evolve in to organisms that are different from ancestor is necessary to understand any biological process and even systems that has the capacity to evolve like Artificial intelligence. Last but not the least it provides us with a glimpse of our past elves and our probable future selves.

Understanding of Molecular biology and Developmental biology is now a must have skill as most of the biological processes are studied at molecular level and knowledge of developmental biology prepares a student for further studies that require how different functional organs function, what are probable causes of any dysfunction and how development diseases can be prevented or cured.

Group A:

Ecology and Evolution

Theory

• Concept of ecosystem – Structure and function, food chains, food web, energy flow, ecological pyramids and ecological efficiencies.
• Population growth models – Natality and mortality, r and K strategies, Survivorship curves.
• Competition exclusion principle, Intraspecific and interspecific competition, Lotka-Volterra model.
• Community characteristics and resource partitioning
• Species diversity, abundance, dominance, richness, ecotone and edge effect.
• Ecological succession – Types of ecological succession with examples.
• Types of ecosystems with an example (in detail).
• Origin of life (Chemical origin only).
• Natural selection – concept of fitness, types of selection, Concept of selection - stabilizing, directional and disruptive with example.
• Population genetics – Hardy-Weinberg law, Calculating allele and genotype frequency.
• Evolutionary forces upsetting H-W equilibrium.
• Genetic drift mechanism – founder’s effect and population bottleneck phenomenon.
• Species concept – Isolating mechanisms, modes of speciation.
• Zoogeographical realms – names and animal distribution according to Wallace scheme, Avian and Mammalian faunal distribution in different realms. Geological time scale.
• Molecular clock. Fossil records of hominids (from Australopithecus to Homo sapiens)

Group B:

Molecular Biology and Developmental Biology

Theory

• Salient features of DNA, Watson and Crick Model of DNA. RNA types and function.
• DNA Replication - Mechanism of DNA Replication in Prokaryotes.
• Transcription - Mechanism of Transcription in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
• Translation - Genetic code, Degeneracy of the genetic code and Wobble Hypothesis.
• Gene Regulation - Regulation of Transcription in prokaryotes: lac operon and trp operon.
• Regulation of Transcription in eukaryotes - Activators, enhancers, silencer, repressors, miRNA mediated gene silencing.
• DNA Repair Mechanisms and Molecular Techniques - PCR, Western and Southern blot, Northern Blot.
• Basic concepts developmental biology - Gametogenesis: Spermatogenesis, Oogenesis.
• Fertilization in sea urchin and mammal.
• Planes and patterns of cleavage, Types of Blastula.
• Embryonic induction and organizers in Xenopus (Spemann and Mangold’s experiment).
• Regeneration - Modes of regeneration, epimorphosis, morphallaxis and compensatory regeneration (with one example each).

UGZOOMIP201: Practical- 2 Credits:

Determination of requisite size of quadrat by species area curve method,

Determination of population density in a natural / hypothetical community by quadrat method and calculation of Shannon-Wiener diversity index for the same community.

Quantitative determination of pH, Dissolved O2 content (Winkler’s method), and free CO2 from water.

Study of fossils from models / pictures.

Study of homology and analogy from suitable specimens.

DNA gel electrophoresis ( Demonstration)

PCR ( Virtual/ simulation)

Identification of 24h, 48h, 72h and 96 h chick embryo from slide.