SRMJEEE Biology (Botany) Syllabus

Biology (Botany) syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Biology (Botany) in SRMJEEE, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Diversity and Structure of Plants

   4 topics

   • Taxonomy and Classification
     • Five kingdom classification
     • Binomial nomenclature
   • Plant Kingdom
     • Algae, bryophytes and pteridophytes
     • Gymnosperms and angiosperms
   • Morphology of Flowering Plants
     • Root, stem and leaf modifications
     • Inflorescence and flower structure
   • Anatomy of Plants
     • Plant tissues and tissue systems
     • Secondary growth
2. 2

   Plant Physiology

   4 topics

   • Transport in Plants
     • Diffusion, osmosis and water potential
     • Transpiration and ascent of sap
   • Mineral Nutrition
     • Essential elements and deficiency
     • Nitrogen metabolism
   • Photosynthesis
     • Light and dark reactions
     • C3, C4 and CAM pathways
   • Respiration and Plant Growth
     • Glycolysis, Krebs cycle and ETC
     • Plant growth regulators
3. 3

   Reproduction and Genetics in Plants

   3 topics

   • Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants
     • Microsporogenesis and megasporogenesis
     • Pollination and fertilisation
   • Principles of Inheritance
     • Mendelian genetics
     • Linkage and crossing over
   • Molecular Basis of Inheritance
     • DNA structure and replication
     • Transcription and translation
4. 4

   Ecology and Applied Botany

   4 topics

   • Ecosystems
     • Energy flow and food chains
     • Nutrient cycling
   • Biodiversity and Conservation
     • Patterns of biodiversity
     • Conservation strategies
   • Biotechnology and Its Applications
     • Recombinant DNA technology
     • Applications in agriculture
   • Economic Botany and Microbes
     • Microbes in human welfare
     • Food production and crop improvement

Biology (Botany) flashcards for SRMJEEE

20 of 61 cards from the Biology (Botany) deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is taxonomy?

   Taxonomy is the branch of biology concerned with the identification, naming (nomenclature) and classification of organisms based on their characters into a hierarchical system.

2. List the seven obligate taxonomic categories (taxa) in correct descending order.

   Kingdom > Phylum/Division > Class > Order > Family > Genus > Species.

3. How is a species defined in taxonomy?

   A species is the lowest taxonomic category — a group of organisms with fundamental similarities capable of interbreeding to produce fertile offspring (e.g. sapiens in Homo sapiens).

4. What are the two kingdoms in Linnaeus's original system of classification?

   Linnaeus proposed a Two-Kingdom system: Plantae (plants) and Animalia (animals).

5. Who proposed the Five Kingdom classification and in what year?

   R. H. Whittaker proposed the Five Kingdom classification in 1969.

6. Name the five kingdoms of Whittaker's classification.

   Monera, Protista, Fungi, Plantae and Animalia.

7. What main criteria did Whittaker use for the Five Kingdom classification?

   Cell structure (prokaryotic/eukaryotic), body organisation (unicellular/multicellular), mode of nutrition (autotrophic/heterotrophic), reproduction and phylogenetic relationships.

8. Which kingdom contains all prokaryotic organisms and what is its mode of nutrition?

   Kingdom Monera contains all prokaryotes (bacteria, cyanobacteria); nutrition is varied — autotrophic (photosynthetic/chemosynthetic) or heterotrophic (saprophytic/parasitic).

9. What distinguishes Kingdom Fungi nutritionally and structurally?

   Fungi are eukaryotic, heterotrophic (saprophytic, parasitic or symbiotic) with chitinous cell walls; the body is a mycelium of hyphae and food is stored as glycogen.

10. What is binomial nomenclature and who introduced it?

    Binomial nomenclature is the system of giving each organism a scientific name of two words — genus + species — introduced by Carolus Linnaeus in 'Species Plantarum'.

11. State the key writing rules of binomial nomenclature.

    The name has two parts (genus, then species). Genus starts with a capital letter, species with lowercase; both are italicised (or underlined separately when handwritten); the name is usually Latinised, e.g. Mangifera indica.

12. Which code governs the naming of plants?

    The International Code for Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN).

13. On what basis is the Plant Kingdom (Plantae) primarily classified into major groups?

    On the basis of presence/absence of vascular tissue, seeds and flowers — giving Thallophyta (algae), Bryophyta, Pteridophyta, Gymnosperms and Angiosperms.

14. Why are bryophytes called the 'amphibians of the plant kingdom'?

    Because although they live on land, they require water for sexual reproduction (the flagellated antherozoids need a film of water to swim to the egg).

15. What is the stored food (reserve) and cell wall composition in most algae?

    Reserve food is starch and the cell wall is made of cellulose (with additional materials like algin/agar in some groups).

16. Compare the dominant generation in bryophytes versus pteridophytes.

    In bryophytes the gametophyte (haploid) is the dominant, photosynthetic generation; in pteridophytes the sporophyte (diploid, vascular) is dominant.

17. What pigments and reserve food characterise Chlorophyceae (green algae)?

    Chlorophyceae contain chlorophyll a and b (grass green); reserve food is starch stored in pyrenoids, and cell wall is cellulose. Example: Chlamydomonas, Spirogyra.

18. Which is the first group of plants to possess true vascular tissue (xylem and phloem)?

    Pteridophytes (e.g. ferns, Selaginella, Equisetum) are the first true vascular land plants (tracheophytes).

19. Define homospory and heterospory in pteridophytes.

    Homospory = production of a single type of spore (most pteridophytes). Heterospory = production of two types of spores, larger megaspores and smaller microspores (e.g. Selaginella, Salvinia) — a precursor to the seed habit.

20. What are the key features distinguishing gymnosperms from angiosperms?

    Gymnosperms have naked (uncovered) ovules/seeds not enclosed in an ovary and lack true flowers/fruits; angiosperms have ovules enclosed in an ovary that develops into a fruit, and bear flowers with double fertilisation.

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