Topics

1. Principles and methods of taxonomy
   1. Concepts of species and hierarchical taxa
   2. Biological nomenclature
   3. Classical and quantitative methods of taxonomy of plants, animals and microorganisms
2. Levels of structural organization
   1. Unicellular
   2. Colonial
   3. Multicellular forms
   4. Levels of organization of
      1. Tissues
      2. Organs
      3. Systems
   5. comparative anatomy.
3. Outline classification of plants, animals and microorganisms
   1. Important criteria used for classification in each taxon
   2. Classification of
      1. Plants
      2. Animals
      3. Microorganisms
4. Evolutionary relationships among taxa
5. Natural history of Indian subcontinent
   1. Major habitat types of the subcontinent, geographic origins and migrations of species
   2. Common Indian mammals, bird
   3. Seasonality and phenology of the subcontinent
6. Organisms of health and agricultural importance
   1. Common parasites and pathogens of
      1. Humans
      2. Domestic animals
      3. Crops