BIOLOGY NOTES

1. Characteristics of living things:

Intake of food/nutrition
Growth from inside the body not accumulation
Reproduction
Metabolism
Cellular organization
Consciousness and responses to stimuli
2. ICBN International Code for Botanical Nomenclature
ICZN International Code for Zoological Nomenclature
3. Binomial Nomenclature by Carolus Linnaeus
First part: Generic name (Genus); second part: Specific epithet (Species); e.g.: Homo sapiens,
Magnifera indica (Mango), Felis domestica (Cat)
4.

Taxonomic hierarchy

Kingdom
V
Phylum/Division
V
Class
V
Order
V
Family
V
Genus
V
Species
5. Taxonomy classification of living things, on the basis of similar characteristics, into different
taxa or categories/ranks/unit of classification [taxon plural - taxa]
6. Basic processes of taxonomy: Characterization > Identification > Classification > Nomenclature
7. Herbarium store house of collected plant specimens that are dried, pressed and preserved on
sheets
8. Botanical gardens specialized gardens with living plants for references
9. Museums have collections of preserved animal and plant specimens
10. Zoological parks protected environments for keeping animals
11. Linnaeus binomial nomenclature do not classify living things to unicellular and multicellular,
eukaryotes and prokaryotes, and photosynthetic (green algae) and non-photosynthetic (fungi)
organisms, but to Plantae and Animalia
12. FIVE KINGDOM CLASSIFICATION by R.H. Whittaker

13. In the five kingdoms classification of Whittaker there is no mention of some acellular organisms
like viruses and viroid, and lichens
14. The viruses are non-cellular organisms that are characterized by having an inert crystalline
structure outside the living cell
15. The name virus that means venom or poisonous fluid was given by Pasteur. D.J. Ivanowsky
16. W.M. Stanley (1935) showed that viruses could be crystallized and crystals consist largely of
proteins
17. No virus can have both of the genetic materials simultaneously; a virus has either a DNA or an
RNA in a protein coat called capsid made up of capsomeres
18. Virus that infect plants has a single stranded RNA; which affects animals has a double stranded
RNA or DNA; bacteriophages (affecting bacteria) have a double stranded DNA
19. Viroid, discovered by T. O. Diener, differs from virus in size (smaller than virus) and is an RNA
without capsid
20. Lichens are symbiotic associations between algae and fungi.
21. The algal component is known as phycobiont and fungal component as mycobiont, which are
autotrophic and heterotrophic, respectively.
22. Algae prepare food for fungi and fungi provide shelter and absorb mineral nutrients and water
for its partner.
23. Lichens are very good pollution indicators they do not grow in polluted areas.
24. Mumps, small pox, herpes, influenza virus caused animal diseases
25. Mosaic formation, leaf rolling and curling, dwarfing, yellowing and vein clearing in plants
26. Artificial vs. natural classification systems of plant kingdom: Since artificial classification gave
equal weightage to both vegetative and sexual characteristics, it is unacceptable as vegetative
characteristics are easily affected by environments.
27. Natural classification system was developed by George Bentham and Joseph Dalton Hooker
28. Numerical taxonomy uses numbers assigned for characteristics
29. Cytotaxonomy uses cytological characteristics (e.g.: number of chromosomes)
30. Chemotaxonomy uses the chemical composition of plants for classification
31. The algae reproduce through vegetative (fragmentation), sexual and asexual (through spores)
methods
32. A half of the total carbon dioxide fixation is carried out by algae
33. Porphyra, laminaria and sargassum marine algae used as food
34. Types of breeding
Inbreeding mating of related (having a common ancestor) animals to obtain
homozygous pure lines, but later leads to inbreeding depression (low fertility and
productivity)
Outbreeding mating of unrelated animals
Unrelated animals of the same breed out crossing
Animals of different breeds cross breeding
Animals of different species inter specific hybridization
35. Multiple Ovulation Embryo Transfer Technology (MOET) FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone)
36. Steps of conventional breeding:
Germplasm screening
Selection and cross hybridization of parents
Selection of superior recombinants
Test and release of new varieties
37. Limitation of conventional breeding availability of genes with desired characters
38. Mutation breeding artificially inducing desirable characters in genes using chemicals or
radiation. e.g.: mung bean
39. Biofortification breeding nutrient rich plants (fortify encourage)
Protein content and quality
Oil content and quality
Vitamin content
Micronutrient content and minerals
40. Single Cell Protein Protein consisting of processed microbes such as yeast and bacteria, grown
in culture, used as a source of food especially for livestock
41. SCP has high content of protein and is independent of seasonal changes
42. SCP may produce toxic substances, may leads to indigestion and allergies.
43. Production of SCP is expensive as it requires a high level of sterility
44. Reduces environmental pollution as they can be grown in waste water and products
45. In 1902, G. Haberlandt noticed that plant cells can be grown in synthetic media tissue culture
46. Totipotency capacity to generate a whole plant from any cell/explant (a part of the plant)




47. Tissue culture requires a sterilized environment so as to prevent decomposition of the explant
and a nutrient medium carbon source + inorganic salts + amino acids + vitamins + growth
regulators like auxins and cytokinins
48. Micro-propagation production of thousands of plants from an explant through tissue culture
49. Tissue culture involves asexual reproduction and the plants are somaclones reduced genetic
diversity
50. The procedure depends upon the nature of species being cultured trial and error method for
new species
51. Tissue culture can be used to generate healthy plants from the meristem, which is virus free, of
a diseased plant
52. Somatic hybridization fusion of isolated protoplasts of two different varieties of plants and
allowing it to grow into plants: somatic hybrids