University of Lucknow Courses

M.Sc. (Zoology)

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Duration: 2 Years

Eligibility: Graduation

Course Structure

Semester - I

• 401 Non-Chordata
• 402 Animal Physiology and Chronobiology
• 403 Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Molecular biology
• 404 Quantitative Biology, Biosystematics and Bioinstrumentation

Semester - II

• 405 Chordata
• 406 Animal Behaviour and Evolutionary Biology
• 407 Environmental Biology and Toxicology
• 408 Cytogenetics and Developmental Biology

Semester - III

• 409 Comparative Endocrinology
• 410 Reproductive Physiology
• 411 Insect Ecology, morphology and physiology
• 412 Applied Entomology

Semester -  IV

• 413 Morphology and Physiology of fishes
• 414 Fresh water, brackish water and Marine fisheries
• 415 General Parasitology and Immunology
• 416 Parasitology: Morphology and life cycles

 

Course Detail

Semester -I

401 Non-Chordata

Unit - I

• Protozoa: Osmoregulation. Ultrastructure. Locomotion. Nutrition and Reproduction in Protozoa.
• Porifera: Cell types. Skeleton and Reproduction in sponges.
• Coelenterata: Origin of Metazoa, Polymorphism. Corals and pigments, Metagenesis

Unit - II

• Platyhelminths: Origin and Evolution of bilateria. Parasitic adaptations. Larval stages of Trematodes. General organization of Trematodes and Cestodes. Larval stages of Cestodes.
• Aschelminthes: General organization of Nematodes in animals and plants

Unit - III

• Annelida: Segmental organs. Ciliary feeding in Annelids, Adaptive radiation in Polychaeta, Coelom and Metamerism
• Arthropoda: Organisation and affinities of Onychophora. Larval forms in Crustacea, Parasitism in Crustracea, Respiratory organs in Arthropods. General organization of Tardigrada, Pycnogonida, Trilobitomorpha.

Unit – IV

• Mollusca: Foot, Respiration, Nervous system. Torsion in gastropods, shell types.
• Echinodermata: Water vascular system. Larval forms and affinities.
• Minor phyla: Organization and affinities of Rotifera, Phoronida, Ectoprocta and Endoprocta

 

402 Animal Physiology and Chronobiology

Unit – I

• Physiology of digestion: Chemical digestion and absorption of proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids.
• Physiology of respiration: Gaseous exchange in terrestrial and aquatic animals. Role of respiratory pigments.
• Physiology of circulation: Pattern of circulation among different animal groups, Haemo- -dynamics, Regulation of circulation: Cardiac cycle
• Physiology of excretion: Homeostasis and ion regulation; Osmoregulation
• Physiology of defense mechanism: Immunity, types of Immune mechanism immune cells, Autoimmunity, Antigen and antibody reaction and antibody diversity.

Unit – II

• Neurophysiology: Structural and functional organization of the nervous system. The physical basis of neuronal function. Communication along and between neurons.
• Physiology of sense organs: Vision, gustatory
• Physiology of thermal regulation

Unit – III

• Chronobiology: History and Adaptive significance, Types of biological rhythms and their properties. Circadian rhythms. Circannual rhythms. Ultradian rhythms. Peripheral clocks.
• Photoperiodism: Photoreception, phototransduction and photoperiodic time measurement.

Unit - IV

• Anatomy and physiology of the time keeping system.
• Molecular mechanisms underlying clock function in organisms (cyanobacteria to mammals).
• Entrainment of biological rhythms with reference to photic and non-photic cues.
• Biological rhythms and human health
  • Rhythms of the Brain: Recording brain waves, EEG rhythms, mechanical and meaning of brain rhythms, Sleep, Neural mechanisms of sleep

 

403 Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Molecular Biology

Unit - I

• Carbohydrates: Polysaccharides, Glycoproteins and Peptidoglycans. Metabolism: Biosynthesis of Glycogen, Glucose, Interconversion of hexoses and pentoses, The pentose phosphate pathway, Energetics and regulation of glycolysis and gluconeogenesis.
• Lipid: Metabolism: Biosynthesis of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, Catabolism of fatty acids and ketone bodies.
• Proteins: Structure of proteins: Primary, secondary tertiary domains and motifs, quatrernary. Conformation of proteins and polypeptides,Reverse turns and Ramachandran plot.

Unit - II

Enzymes: Mechanism of action, regulation of enzyme action, Enzyme kinetics, LB-Plot, related calculations, transition Isoenzymes.

Bioenergetics: Thermodynamic principles in biology; Energy rich bonds, Weak interactions, Coupled reactions, Group transfers, Biological energy transducers; Application of free energy function.

Unit - III

• Genetic material: Structural polymorphism of DNA, DNA replication, DNA damage and repair, Gene amplification, Fine structure of gene
• Genetic code: Codon assignment, Characteristics of genetic code; Wobble hypothesis.
• Regulation of gene expression: Regulation of gene expressionin prokaryotes and eukaryotes, Attenuation and antitermination, Protein targeting, Antisense RNA, Post-translation modification of proteins; Intracellular protein degradation.

Unit - IV

• Gene technology: Nucleic acid hybridization, Methylation of DNA and Restriction endonucleases, DNA sequencing, Cryopreservation.
• Genetic engineering and human welfare: Manufacture of Insulin, Single cell proteins Biosensors for medicine and environmental monitoring. Biochips, drug targeting, DNA fingerprinting, Hybridoma technique.
• Enzyme technology: Methods of enzyme production, Immobilization of enzymes, Applications.
• Microbial technology: Microbial fermentation, Antibiotics, Microbes in Decomposition and recycling processes, Microbes as pathological agents in animal and man; General design and application of a Biofermenter.

 

404 Quantitative Biology, Biosystematics and Bioinstrumentation

Unit - I

• Summarizing data: Frequency distribution, graphical presentation – Bar and Pie diagrams, histogram, frequency polygon, frequency curve and ogive.
• Probability and Sampling: Laws of probability; concept of population and sample, Random sampling.
• Measures of Central tendency: Mean, Median and Mode in grouped and ungrouped data and their properties.
• Measures of dispersion: Range mean deviation, variance, standard deviation, Coefficient of variation, concept of Skewness and Kurtosis.
• Correlation and regression: Coefficient of correlation. Linear regression, Regression lines.

Unit - II

• Tests of significance: One and two sample tests, Z-test, t-test, F-test and Chi-squaretest.
• Analysis of variance: One-way and two-way ANOVA with or without repeated Measures.
• Bioinformatics: Biological research on web(using search engines, finding scientific articles, public biological databases, searching biological databases). Sequence analysis, pairwise alignment and database searching.

Unit – III

• Principles of classification; Concept of species; Sympatric and allopatric species. Endemic species, Zoological nomenclature and international code. Modern taxonomy (Cytotaxonomy, chemotaxonomy and molecular taxonomy). Principles and theories of Continental distribution. Zoogeographical realms of the world.

Unit – IV

• Fluorescence microscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, single and 2 D gel electrophoresis, ultracentrifugation, High performance liquid chromatography, gas liquid chromatography, Antoradiography, spectrophotometry : UV, IR and Atomic absorption.

 

Semester –II

405 -Chordata

Unit – I

• General organization and affinities of Urochordata and Cephalochordata, Classification, general organization and affinities of Ostracoderms, Dipnoi, Holocephali, Coelocanthiformes, General organization of fishes.

Unit - II

• Amphibia: General organization of Amphibia, Origin of tetrapod, Adaptive radiation parental care peculiarities and affinities of Apoda. Extinct Amphibians.
• Reptilia: Origin and evolution , Dinosaurs, adaptive radiation

Unit – III

• Reptilia: General organization and affinities of Chelonia, Crocodilia , Squamata and Rhynchocephalia.
• Aves: Origin and evolution, Flightless birds, migration in birds parental care and territorial behaviour.

Unit – IV

• Mammalia: Origin of mammals, structural peculiarities and phylogenetic relations of Prototheria and Metatheria. Dentition, stomach and uterus modifications, aquatic mammals.

 

406 Animal Behaviour and Evolutionary Biology

Unit - I

• Mechanisms of learning and memory: Nonassociative and associative learning. Invertebrate models of learning (e.g. Aplysia). Vertebrate models of learning (Synaptic plasticity in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and neocortex). The molecular basis of long term memory.
• Social structure and communication in animals with special reference to insects and primates.
• Genetics of Behavioural patterns.
• Hormones, pheromones and behavioural patterns.

Unit - II

• Neuroendocrine feed back mechanisms, Neuroendocrine control behaviour with reference to reproductive behaviour.
• Motivation: The hypothalamus homeostasis and motivated behaviour. The short term and long term regulation of feeding behaviour, the role of dopamine in motivation, other motivated behaviour: drinking, temperature regulation.
• Sexual behaviour and the brain: Sex and gender. The hormonal control of male and female hormones, Neural basis of sex-related behaviors, sexual dimorphisms of the control nervous system and cognition, Sexual orientation.
• Brain mechanisms of Emotion: Theories of emotion, the limbic system: concept, brain mechanisms involved in fear and anxiety, anger and aggression, reinforcement and reward.
• Language and attention: Specialized language areas in the brain, Anatomical asymmetry and language, Behavioural consequence of attention, physiological effects of attention.

Unit - III

• Origin of life, History of Evolutionary thoughts, Synthetic theory of Evolution, Natural selection,   Mechanisms of speciation, Mechanisms of evolutionary change (mutation and genetic variation, selection of mutation as mechanisms of Evolution), Molecular evolution.

Unit - IV

• Evolution at population level, Evolution at multiple loci: quantitative genetics. Adaptation (Evolutionary analysis of form and function), sexual selection, Kin selection and social behaviour, Evolution and human health, Human Evolution, fossils evolution.

 

407 Environmental Biology and Toxicology

Unit - I

• Ecosystem: Concept, production and decomposition, homeostasis and dynamics.
• Biogeochemical cycles: Hydrologic, gaseous and sedimentary cycles
• Biosphere: Structure, composition and characteristics.
• Environmental monitoring

Unit - II

• Environmental pollution: Air, water, soil, noise, thermal, radiation and microbial pollution. Waste management.
• Modern environmental problems: Acid rain, global warming, green house effect and depletion of ozone layer.
• Wildlife: Importance and causes of wildlife depletion, extinction, Concept of endangered and threatened species, hot spots of biodiversity.
• Wildlife management: Wildlife acts, Biodiversity and biosphere reserves, in situ and ex situ conservation of wildlife.

Unit - III

• Exposure of toxicants: Different routes/methods of exposure, frequency & duration of exposure, human exposure, dose-response relationship
• Selective toxicity: Concept, significance and basic mechanisms of selective toxicity.
• Factors affecting toxicity: Factors related to the chemical exposure, surrounding medium and the organisms.
• Toxicity Tests: Bioassay, acute toxicity tests for terrestrial and aquatic animals, chronic toxicity tests, and concept of Maximum Acceptable Toxicant Concentration (MATC) and safe concentration.

Unit - IV

• Toxic effects of Xenobiotics: Local and systemic effects, immediate and delayed effects, reversible and irreversible effects, biochemical and physiological effects of xenobiotics.
• Bioaccumulation of Xenobiotics: Concept of bioconcentration, bioaccumulation and biomagnification, bioconcentration factor, process of bioaccumulation in the biological system.
• Biotransformation of Xenobiotics: Concept of biotransformation and metabolism, sites of biotransformation, biotransformation enzymes and general biotransformation reactions.
• Safety evaluation of xenobiotics.

 

408 Cytogenetics and Developmental Biology

Unit - I

• Mitochondrion, oxidative phosphorylation and aerobic respiration.
• Cytoplasmic membrane systems: Molecular organization, specialization, biosynthesis and turn over, ionic, molecular and bulk transport.
• The cytoskeleton and cell motility
• Cell signaling: Communication between cells and their environment.

Unit - II

• Nucleus and Chromosomes: chromatin structure, types of chromosomes. Chromosomal aberrations Changes in number (Euploidy, Aneuploidy, Trisomy in non-humans), Changes in structure (Deletion, Duplication, Inversion, Translocation), Causes of chromosomal aberrations in humans; Chromosomal aberrations and evolution.Cell-cycle (mitosis, meiosis), cancer.
• Gene mutation Classification of mutations, Spontaneous and induced mutation, Phenotypic effects of mutation, Molecular basis of mutation, Radiation and chemical induced mutations, Mutagenicity and Carcinogenecity, Mutation- Pregnancy, Practical application, Mutation and man.
• Population genetics Gene and genotype frequencies. The Hardy Weinberg Law; Mendelian population, Genetic death and genetic drift, Factors affecting gene population, Probability and goodness of fit; Polygenic inheritance.

Unit - III

• Developmental mechanics of cell specification, morphogenesis and Cell adhesion.
• Genes and development, differential gene expression Cell -cell communication.
• Gamete Biology, structure of gametes, recognition of gametes, gamete fusion and prevention of polyspermy; Reproductive technologies.

Unit - IV

• Cleavage pattern, gastrulation.
• Early development of invertebrate (sea-urchin) and vertebrates (fish, birds & mammals).
• Organogenesis: Development of eye and kidney.
• Metamorphosis, regeneration and ageing.

 

Semester –III

409 Comparative Endocrinology

Unit - I

• Cytological and histochemical organization of endocrine cells, molecular basis for chemical regulation.
• Hormone receptors, signal transduction and messenger systems, Mechanism of action of hormones
• Neuroendocrinology: Neurotransmitters and neuropeptides, Interrelations between central nervous system and endocrine organs. Neuroendocrine integration in vertebrates.

Unit - II

• The endocrine hypothalamus: Hypothalamo-hypophyseal axis in mammals. Hypothalamohypophyseal axis in non-mammalian vertebrates. Pars nervosa. Pars Intermedia.

Unit - III

• Thyroid in mammals: Thyroid in non-mammalian vertebrates. Adrenal in mammals. Adrenal in nonmammalian vertebrates. Chemical regulators of metabolism. Regulation of calcium and phosphate homeostasis.

Unit IV

• Regulators of Gastrointestinal tract: Thymus hormones. Pineal gland, Role of melatonin in circadian and non-circadian physiological responses. Comparative cellular and molecular biology of testis in vertebrates. Comparative cellular and molecular biology of ovary in vertebrates.

 

410 Reproductive Physiology

Unit - I

• Cellular and molecular biology of gonadal development: Theories of gonadal differentiation, structure of germ cells, development and differentiation of indifferent gonads, development and differentiation and maturation of ovary, development and differentiation and maturation of testis, Comparative aspects of differentiation and maturation of testis and ovary.

Unit - II

• Endocrinology of testis: Chemistry, biosynthesis of testicular steroid and functions, Antiandrogen, Inhibin.
• Endocrinology of ovary: Chemistry biosynthesis of ovarian steroids and their functions.
• Accessory sex organs in male mammal: Structure and function.
• Accessory sex organs in a female mammal: Structure and function.

Unit - III

• Ovarian cyclicity: Estrous cycle in rat and menstrual cycle in human female and its hormonal control.
• Reproductive cycles: Photoperiodic regulation of seasonal reproductive cycles of sexual periodicity. Hormonal control of sexual behaviour. Pheromones and mammalian reproductive behaviour. Effects of pollution on reproductive cycle of vertebrates.

Unit - IV

• Fertilisation, in vitro fertilisation, Embryo transfer. Endocrinology of implantation, pregnancy, parturition and lactation. Principles and techniques of fertility regulation; sexual dysfunction.

 

411 Insect Ecology, morphology and physiology

Unit I

• Survey and sampling methods: Definition of survey and sampling, purpose of sampling, methods of sampling. Population dynamics: concept, density independent and density dependent factors responsible for the dynamics of insect population and reproductive potential.
• Structure, formation and functions of integument
• Stridulatory organs and sound producing organs.
• Bioluminescence

Unit - II

• Digestive system: Alimentary canal, digestive gland(s), filter chamber. Digestion of special substances, role of microbes in digestion.
• Excretory systems: Excretory organs, physiology of excretion.
• Respiratory system: Respiratory organs, respiration in insects including aquatic and parasitic insects.
• Circulatory systems: Haemolymph- types of haemocytes and their function.
• Nervous system and sense organs: Brain, Nerve cord, Photoreceptors and Olfactory organs.

Unit - III

• Reproductive system: Male reproductive system- testis, follicle, and spermiogenesis; Female reproductive system- types of ovarioles, oogenesis and structure of egg.
• Insect development: Cleavage, formation of embryonic membranes and three germ layers.
• Endocrine system: Hormones controlling insect growth and metamorphosis. Insect growth and metamorphosis.

Unit IV

• Insect diapause: Definition, diapause in different stages, their hormonal control, induction and termination of diapause, significance.
• Pheromones: Primer and releaser effect, types of pheromones and their uses in insect life.
• Photoperiodism: Definition, basis of Photoperiodism, relation of photoperiodism with endocrine glands.

 

412. Applied Entomology

Unit - I

Characteristic features, biology, damage and control measures of insect pests of agricultural crops with special reference to:

• Cotton: Red cotton boll stainer, spotted boll worm, pink bollworm, cotton leaf roller, hairy caterpillar.
• Mango: Mango mealy bug, mango leaf hopper, mango fruit fly, mango stem borer.
• Sugarcane: Root, shoot and Top borers, Pyrilla, wooly aphid

Unit - II

• Vegetables: Epilachna beetle, cabbage butterfly, red pumpkin beetle, aphids.
• Oil seed (especially sarson, groundnut and castor) crops: Aphids, hemipterans, lepidopterans, coleopterans.
• Pests of stored grains and products: Grain moth, rice moth, pulse beetle, khapra beetle, wheat and rice weevils.
• Polyphagous insects: Locusts and termites
• Insects of medical importance: Myiasis flies, Blow flies, Flesh flies, Blood sucking flies, Sucking lice, Biting lice, Fleas.
• Insects of veterinary importance: Mosquitoes, Sand flies, Lice, Bed bugs, Fleas, Flies.

Unit - III

• Apiculture: Types of honeybees, economic importance, structure of natural and artificial hives, equipments for bee keeping and diseases of honeybees.
• Sericulture: Types of silk and silk moths, primary and secondary food plants, life cycle, seed production, rearing technology and diseases of Bombyx mori, processing of cocoons and reeling.
• Lac culture: Life cycle, food plants, lac cultivation, shellac preparation, properties and uses of lac.

Unit - IV

Concept and components of Insect Pest Management- Physical control, Mechanical control, Cultural control, Legal control, Chemical control, Chemosterilization, Antifeedants Ecological control, Genetic control, Biological control, Microbial control, Pheromones, hormones, Chitin inhibitors/insect growth regulators in pest management.

• Organochlorine insecticides and their mode of action, Organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides and their mode of action.
• Pyrethroids and Neem products.
• Concept of integrated pest management.

 

Semester -IV

413 Morphology and Physiology of fishes

Unit - I

• Skin, barbles, scales, tails, fins, and locomotion in fishes.
• Pigments and colour changes in fishes: Flavins, Pterins, Melanins, Carotenoids, uses and functions. Morphology and physiology of colour changes and its significance.
• Food, feeding habits and digestion. Respiration: gills, swim bladder, air breathing organs and physiology of respiration. Structural modifications of swim bladder.

Unit - II

• Weberian ossicles and sound producing organs.
• Excretion and osmoregulation.
• Luminescence organs: history, distribution, type of luminous organs, Nerve and hormonal centre, use of luminous organs.
• Electric organs: Origin and development, anatomy. electric discharge, nervous control and biological function.

Unit - III

• Sense organs: Eye- origin, significance, structure, functions and functional adaptation. Olfactory and gustatory senses. Anatomy of olfactory organs, taste and common chemical sense. Olfaction, acoustics. Cardiovascular and nervous system in fishes.

Unit - IV

• Endocrine glands: Structure & functions of pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, Corpuscles of stanneous.
• Reproductive organs: Induced breeding, development & parental care.
• Fish behaviour and migration: conditioned responses, Ethological analogies of fish behaviour, migration in fishes.
• Ecology of Teleostean fishes: Water quality requirement and toxic substances, temperature, salinity, osmotic pressure, pH, dissolved CO2, O2 and N2, turbidity. Toxic substances and their effects.

 

414 Fresh water, Brackish water and Marine fisheries

Unit - I

• Principal fresh water fisheries: Riverine, Pond, Cold water, Lakes and reservoir fisheries; Brackish water fisheries Hill stream adaptations.
• Breeding habits of cultured species, pond management, Carp culture, seed, air breathing, fish culture and hybridisation, transport of fish, fish culture by modern methods.
• Aquatic weeds, plankton, insects and predators and their control.

Unit - II

• Age and growth of fishes. Exotic fishes, their culture and importance, poisonous fishes. Integrated fish farming and composite fish culture.

Unit - III

• Geology and chemical oceanography of Indian Ocean. Marine fish resources of India: Elasmobranchs, Clupeods, Bombay Duck, Catfishes, Eels, Thread fish, Theropon, Mackerel & Pamphrets. Crustacean and Molluscan fisheries.
• Fish preservation and processing: Fish by-products, fish marketing and trade. Nets and boats used for fishing in fresh water, brackish water and marine waters.

Unit - IV

• Aquaculture and Mariculture: problems and prospects. Fish diseases. Fish in relation to man, larvivorous fishes, aquarium fishes and their maintenance. Fisheries societies, welfare.

 

415 General Parasitology and Immunology

Unit - I

• Different types of animal associations: Host- parasite relationship, host specificity. Evolution of parasitism, ecology of parasitism, effect of parasitism on host, parasite population dynamics, crowding effect. In vitro cultivation of parasites, microenvironment and phases of parasitism.
• Protozoan parasites: Morphology, host range, location, life cycle, pathogenicity, epidemiology and treatment of amoebae, coccidians, haemoflagellates and gastrointestinal flagellates of man and domestic animals.

Unit - II

• Arachinida: Biology, importance, diseases caused and biocontrol.
• Insecta: Insects and human diseases. Role of insects in transmission of parasitic diseases. Biting and Sucking lice, the true bugs, blood sucking flies, flesh flies and myiasis causing flies, Fleas Methods of Collection, Preservation and preparation of Protozoans and Arthropods

Unit - III

• Structure and classes of immunoglobulins, Mechanism of immune response: humoral and cellmediate immunity. Lymphokines, T-cell receptors, HLA, Compliments: alternate/ classical pathways. Antigen-antibody interactions, Mechanism of antibody diversity, Cancer and autoimmune diseases.

Unit - IV

• Physiology and biochemistry of parasites, development of eggs and egg shell formation, Immunology in relation to parasitism: Immunity and parasitic populations Immunodiagnosis, intradermal tests and their significance, immunopathology in parasitic infections. Vaccination and parasitism, vaccines against protozoan and helminth parasites.

 

416 Parasitology: Morphology and life cycles

Unit - I

• General organisation with special reference to adhesive organs in Monogenea, Digenea and Cestoda, egg containing organs in cestodes. Structure and life cycle, pathogenecity and control of Polystoma, Diplozoan, Gyrodectulus, Fasciolopsis buski, blood flukes, Clonorchis sinensis, Paragonimus westermani, Echinococcus, Hymenolopsis, Diphyllobothrium and Dipylidium.

Unit - II

• Excretory and lymphatic systems in termatodes: Larval stages of helminths Structure and types of larvae. Adhesive organs in General organisation, classification and development of Acanthocephala. Structure and life cycle of Macracanthorhynchus hirudinaceus.

Unit - III

• Structure of nematodes: Specialised structures associated with the cuticle, digestive, excretory system, reproductive system and sense organs. Nematodes and diseases; Patterns of life cycle in nematodes, behaviour of nematodes. Structure, life cycle, pathogenecity and control of filarial worms, Draunculus mediensis, Strongyloides stercoralis and Trichinella spiralis. Soil and plant parasitic nematodes with special reference to Meloidogyne.

Unit - IV

• Ultrastructure of tegument in Trematodes, Cestodes: Carbohydrate and protein metabolism. Methods of collection, preservation and preparation of helminths, diagnosis of parasitism, blood and stool examination for parasitic infections.