BIOLOGY SYLLABUS FOR (NEET)
UNIT 1: Diversity in the Living World
• What is living?; Biodiversity; Need for classification; Taxonomy & Systematics; Concept of species and taxonomic hierarchy; binomial nomenclature;
• Five kingdom classification; salient features and classification of Monera, Protista, and Fungi into major groups: lichens, viruses, and viroids.
• Salient features and classification of plants into major groups—Algae, Bryophytes, Pteridophytes, Gymnosperms (three to five salient and distinguishing features and at least two examples of each category);
• Salient features and classification of animals—nonchordate up to phyla level and chordate up to class level (three to five salient features and at least two examples).
UNIT 2: Structural Organization in Animals and Plants
• Morphology and modifications; tissues; anatomy and functions of different parts of flowering plants: root, stem, leaf, inflorescence (cymose and racemose), flower, fruit, and seed (to be dealt with along with the relevant practical of the practical syllabus); family (Malvaceae, Cruciferae, Leguminoceae, Compositae, Gramineae).
• Animal tissues: morphology, anatomy, and functions of different systems (digestive, circulatory, respiratory, nervous, and reproductive) of an insect (frog). (Brief account only)
UNIT 3: Cell Structure and Function
• Cell theory and the cell as the basic unit of life; structure of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells; plant cells and animal cells; cell envelope, cell membrane, and cell wall; cell organelles structure and function; Endomembrane system—endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi bodies, lysosomes, vacuoles; mitochondria, ribosomes, plastids, microbodies; cytoskeleton, cilia, flagella, centrioles (ultrastructure and function); nucleus—nuclear membrane, chromatin, nucleolus.
• Chemical constituents of living cells: Biomolecules—structure and function of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and nucleic acids; enzymes—types, properties, enzyme action, classification, and nomenclature of enzymes
• B Cell Division: Cell cycle, mitosis, meiosis, and their significance.
UNIT 4: Plant Physiology
• Photosynthesis: Photosynthesis as a means of autotrophic nutrition; the site of photosynthesis takes place; pigments are involved in photosynthesis (elementary idea); Photochemical and biosynthetic phases of photosynthesis; cyclic and non-cyclic photophosphorylation; chemiosmotic hypothesis; photorespiration C3 and C4 pathways; factors affecting photosynthesis.
• Respiration: Exchange gases; cellular respiration—glycolysis, fermentation (anaerobic), TCA cycle, and electron transport system (aerobic); energy relations—number of ATP molecules generated; amphibolic pathways; respiratory quotient.
• Plant growth and development: Seed germination; phases of plant growth and plant growth rate; conditions of growth; differentiation, dedifferentiation, and redifferentiation; sequence of developmental processes in a plant cell; Growth regulators: auxin, gibberellin, cytokinin, ethylene, and ABA.
UNIT 5: Human Physiology
• Breathing and Respiration: Respiratory organs in animals (recall only); Respiratory system in humans: mechanism of breathing and its regulation in humans—exchange of gases, transport of gases, and regulation of respiration Respiratory volumes; disorders related to respiration: asthma, emphysema, and occupational respiratory disorders.
• Body fluids and circulation: Composition of blood, blood groups, coagulation of blood; composition of lymph and its function; human circulatory system—structure of the human heart and blood vessels; cardiac cycle, cardiac output, ECG, double circulation; regulation of cardiac activity; disorders of the circulatory system—hypertension, coronary artery disease, angina pectoris, heart failure.
• Excretory products and their elimination: Modes of excretion—ammonotelism, ureotelism, and uricotelism; human excretory system—structure and function; urine formation, osmoregulation, regulation of kidney function, renin-angiotensin, atrial natriuretic factor, ADH, and diabetes insipidus; role of other organs in excretion; Disorders: uremia, renal failure, renal calculi, and nephritis; dialysis and artificial kidney.
• Locomotion and Movement: Types of movement—ciliary, flagellar, muscular; skeletal muscle—contractile proteins and muscle contraction; skeletal system and its functions (to be dealt with in the relevant practical of the practical syllabus); joints; disorders of the muscular and skeletal system—myasthenia gravis, tetany, muscular dystrophy, arthritis, osteoporosis, gout.
• Neural control and coordination: Neurons and nerves; the nervous system in humans is central. nervous system, peripheral nervous system, and visceral nervous system; generation and conduction of nerve impulse;
• Chemical coordination and regulation: Endocrine glands and hormones; Human endocrine system—Hypothalamus, Pituitary, Pineal, Thyroid, Parathyroid, Adrenal, Pancreas, Gonads; Mechanism of hormone action (Elementary Idea); Role of hormones as messengers and regulators, hypo- and hyperactivity, and related disorders (common disorders, e.g., dwarfism, acromegaly, cretinism, goiter, exophthalmic goiter, diabetes, and Addison’s disease).
UNIT 6: Reproduction
• Sexual reproduction in flowering plants: Flower structure; development of male and female gametophytes; pollination types, agencies, and examples; outbreeding devices; Pollen-pistil interaction; double fertilization; post-fertilization events—development of endosperm and embryo, development of seed, and formation of fruit; Special modes: apomixis, parthenocarpy, polyembryony; significance of seed and fruit formation.
• Human Reproduction: Male and female reproductive systems; microscopic anatomy of testis and ovary; gametogenesis: spermatogenesis & oogenesis; menstrual cycle; fertilization, embryo development up to blastocyst formation, implantation, pregnancy, and placenta formation (elementary idea); parturition (elementary idea); lactation (an elementary idea).
• Reproductive health: Need for reproductive health and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs); birth control—need and methods, contraception, and Medical Termination of Pregnancy (MTP); amniocentesis; infertility and assisted reproductive technologies—IVF, ZIFT, GIFT (elementary idea for general awareness).
UNIT 7: Genetics and Evolution
• Heredity and variation: Mendelian inheritance; deviations from Mendelism, incomplete dominance, codominance, multiple alleles, and inheritance of blood groups; pleiotropy; Elementary idea of polygenic inheritance; Chromosome theory of inheritance; Chromosomes and genes; Sex determination: In humans, birds, and honeybees, Linkage and crossing over; Sex-linked inheritance: hemophilia, color blindness;
Mendelian disorders in humans: thalassemia; chromosomal disorders in humans: Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, and Klinefelter syndrome.
• Molecular basis of inheritance: search for genetic material and DNA as genetic material; structure of DNA and RNA; DNA packaging; DNA replication; central dogma; transcription, genetic code, translation; gene expression and regulation—Lac Operon; genome and human genome project; DNA fingerprinting; protein biosynthesis.
• Evolution: Origin of life; biological evolution and evidence for biological evolution from paleontology, comparative anatomy, embryology, and molecular evidence; Darwin’s contribution: the modern synthetic theory of evolution; the mechanism of evolution Variation (mutation and recombination) and natural selection with examples, types of natural selection, gene flow and genetic drift, Hardy-Weinberg’s principle, adaptive radiation, and human evolution.
UNIT 8: Biology and Human Welfare
• Health and Disease; Pathogens; parasites causing human diseases (malaria, filariasis, ascariasis). Typhoid, pneumonia, common cold, amoebiasis, ringworm, dengue, chikungunya; basic concepts of immunology—vaccines; cancer, HIV, and AIDS; adolescence, drugs, and alcohol abuse. Tobacco abuse
• Microbes in human welfare: In household food processing, industrial production, sewage treatment, energy generation, and as biocontrol agents and biofertilizers.
UNIT 9: Biotechnology and Its Applications
• Principles and process of biotechnology: Genetic engineering (recombinant DNA) technology.
• Application of biotechnology in health and agriculture: human insulin and vaccine production, gene therapy, genetically modified organisms—Bt crops, transgenic
Animals: Biosafety issues—biopiracy and patents.
UNIT 10: Ecology and Environment
• Organisms and environment Population interactions—mutualism, competition, predation, Parasitism: population attributes—growth, birth rate and death rate, and age distribution.
• Ecosystem: Patterns, components; productivity and decomposition; energy flow; Pyramids of number, biomass, and energy
• Biodiversity and its conservation: Concept of biodiversity; Patterns of biodiversity; importance of biodiversity; loss of biodiversity; biodiversity conservation; hotspots, endangered organisms, extinction, Red Data Book, biosphere reserves, national parks and sanctuaries, and sacred groves.
