Theory paper is of 3 hours duration and 70 marks. divided into two parts. There are five units in the syllabus: (i) Reproduction (ii) Genetics and Evolution (iii) Biology and Human Welfare (iv) Biotechnology and its Applications (v) Ecology and Environment.
1. Reproduction
(i) Sexual reproduction in flowering plants
Development of male and female gametophytes; 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.
(ii) Human Reproduction
Male and female reproductive systems; microscopic anatomy of testis and ovary; gametogenesis - spermatogenesis and oogenesis; menstrual cycle; fertilisation, embryo development upto blastocyst formation, implantation; pregnancy and placenta formation (elementary idea); parturition (elementary idea); lactation (elementary idea).
(iii) 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).
2. Genetics and Evolution
(i) Principles of inheritance and variation
Heredity and variation: Mendelian inheritance; deviations from Mendelism - incomplete dominance, co-dominance, multiple alleles and inheritance of blood groups, pleiotropy; elementary idea of polygenic inheritance; chromosomal theory of inheritance; chromosomes and genes; sex determination - in humans, fruit fly, birds, honey bee and grasshopper; linkage and crossing over; mutation; sex linked inheritance: Mendelian disorders in humans; chromosomal disorders in humans.
(ii) 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; human genome project;
DNA fingerprinting.
(iii) Evolution
Origin of life; biological evolution and evidences for biological evolution (palaeontology, comparative anatomy, embryology and molecular evidences); Darwin's contribution, modern synthetic theory of evolution; 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; human evolution.
3. Biology and Human Welfare
(i) Human Health and Diseases
Pathogens; parasites causing human diseases (common cold, dengue, chikungunya, typhoid, pneumonia, amoebiasis, malaria, filariasis, ascariasis, ring worm) and their control; Basic concepts of immunology - vaccines; cancer, HIV and AIDS; Adolescence - drug and alcohol abuse.
(ii) Microbes in Human Welfare
In household food processing, industrial production, sewage treatment, energy generation and microbes as biocontrol agents and biofertilisers. Antibiotics.
4. Biotechnology and its Applications
(i) Biotechnology - Principles and processes Genetic Engineering (recombinant DNA technology).
(ii) Biotechnology and its applications
Applications of biotechnology in health and agriculture: human insulin and vaccine production, stem cell technology, gene therapy; genetically modified organisms - Bt crops; transgenic animals; biosafety issues, biopiracy and biopatents.
5. Ecology and Environment
(i) Organisms and Populations
Population interactions - mutualism, competition, predation, parasitism; population attributes - birth rate and death rate, age distribution.
(ii) Ecosystem
Ecosystems: patterns, components; productivity and decomposition; energy flow; pyramids of number, biomass, energy.
(iii) 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, sanctuaries and Ramsar sites.