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Facts File 11 Nature and Scope of Biology
1. Serendipity
This is the unexpected or accidental discovery. Examples are the discovery of
Penicillin, Law of gravitation, Structure of Benzene, Archimedes principle etc.
2.
Prevedic period
4000 – 2500 BC
3.
Vedic period 2500 – 650 BC
4.
First classification was in Chandyoga Upanishad
5.
Susruta in 600 BC wrote Susruta samhita
6.
Thales proposed that life originated in water.
7.
Hippocrates is considered as the Father of Medicine.
8. Theophrastus wrote the book “ Historia plantarum “ and he is the Father of
Botany.
9. Aristotle is the Father of Biology. He wrote the book “ Historia Animalium “.
10. Andreas Vesalius is the Father of Anatomy.
11. William Harvey discovered the blood circulation.
12. The book “ Micrographica “ is the contribution of Robert Hook.
13. Francis Reddi conducted the experiment to prove Spontaneous generation of
life.
14. N.Grew is the Father of Plant Anatomy.
15. Stephen Hales is the Father of Plant Physiology.
16. George Leopold Cuvier studied fossils.
17. Mayer discovered Photosynthesis.
18. Huxley proposed that Protoplasm is the physical basis of life.
19. W.Khune introduced the term Enzyme.
20. E. Stransburger found out cell division.
21. E.G. Balbiani discovered the larval salivary gland.
22. Godlewski discovered ascend of sap in plants.
23. Beijerinck coined the term Virus.
24. Nawaschin discovered double fertilization in plants.
25. Edward Buchner discovered yeast fermentation.
26. Von-Behring discovered Antitetanus toxin.
27. Sex chromosome was discovered by Mc Clung.
28. Harrison found out Tissue culture technique.
29. J.C.Bose studied plant movements.
30. W.M.Stanley crystallized viruses.
31. Saleman Walkman discovered Streptomycin and introduced the term
Antibiotics.
32. H.J.Muller found out the mutagenic property of X-rays.
33. Sexual reproduction in bacteria was found out by Lederberg and Tatum.
34. Emerson and Arnold observed that photosynthesis can be accelerated by
flashes of red light.
35. Beadle and Tatum conducted experiments in the Pink bread mould
Neurospora crassa and found out the role of genes in enzyme synthesis.
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36. Archibald Garrod got nobel prize for his work on the Inborn errors of
metabolism in man.
37. Operon concept was developed by Jacob and Monod.
38. Khorana shared nobel prize with Robert.w.Holley and Marshal Nirenberg for
the synthesis of artificial gene.
39. Stanley Cohen, Herbert Boyer discovered the Recombinant DNA technique.
40. Arber, Smith, Nathans discovered Restriction endonuclese.
41. Mc Clintock Barbara discovered Transposones or Jumping genes in Maize.
42. Ian Wilmut created Dolly in 1996 through animal cloning.
43. BRANCHES OF BIOLOGY
1. Phenetics
Numerical taxonomy based on overall similarities of
organisms and also called Adansonian taxonomy.
2. Cladistics
Classification based on Phylogenetic relations.
3. Eugenics
Improvement of human race.
4. Euthenics
Improvement of better living conditions.
5. Euphenics
Improvement of body conditions, treatment of
diseases.
6. Ethnology
Study of different races of man based on distribution,
culture etc.
7. Cosmogony
Study of origin of universe.
8. Exobiology
Study of possibility of life in the outer space.
9. Cybernetics
Deals with Neurobiology and Endocrinology.
10. Limnology
Study of fresh water ecosystems.
11. Etiology
Study of causes of diseases.
12. Phycology
Study of algae.
13. Agrostology
Study of grasses.
14. Palynology
Study of pollen grains.
15. Malacology
Study of Molluscs.
16. Ichthyology
Study of Fishes.
17. Herpetology
Study of Reptiles.
18. Serpentology
Study of Snakes.
19. Saurology
Study of Lizards.
20. Ornithology
Study of Birds.
21. Angiology
Study of Blood vascular system.
22. Karyology
Study of Nucleus.
23. Chondrology
Study of Cartilages.
24. Dysteleology
Study of Vestigeal organs.
25. Myology
Study of Muscles.
26. Kalogy
Study of Human beauty.
27. Oncology
Study of cancer.
28. Osteology
Study of Bones.
29. Nanotechnology Technology of ultra small machines smaller than
living molecules.
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44. SCIENCE OF EXCEPTIONS
1. Rhizopora and Sonneratia are mangrove plants and their roots are
negatively geotropic.
2. Leaves of monocot plants like Smilax, Colocasia show reticular
venation.
3. Leaves of dicots like Calophyllum, Corymbium show parallel
venation.
4. Cuscuta lacks cotyledons.
5. Blood of shark is colour less.
6. Duckbilled platypus ( Ornithorhynchus ) and Spiny anteater
( Echidna ) are egg laying mammals.
7. Protopterus and Lepidosiren possess lungs.
8. Ostrich, Kiwi etc are Ratitae or flight less birds.
9. Honey bee males are haploid ( 16 chromosomes ) and develop through
parthenogenesis.
45. BTX toxin is Boutulinum toxin produced by Clostridium boutilinum. It is
used as biological weapon.
46. Ricin, Trithecane, Anthrax etc are used as biological weapons in Bio war.
47. Amniocentesis is used to identify the sex of foetus. It uses study of
chromosomes.
48. Silviculture is the study of forest trees.
49. Occupational therapy is the treatment of mentally and physically retarded
people.
50. Sericulture is the rearing of Silkworm.
51. Apiculture is the study of Honey bee.
52. Aquaculture is the study of aquatic animals.
53. Pisciculture is the study of fishes.
54. Biometrics is the biostatistics.
55. Cryobiology is the study of life at low temperature.
56. Ethanobotany deals with the relationship between primitive people and
plants.
57. Genecology is the study of the genetic diversity with in a species.
58. Spermology is the study of seeds.
59. Taphonomy is the study of the conditions required for fossilization.
60. Teratology is study of the abnormal embryonic development.
61. Homeostatic system
1. Body temperature regulation, Action of hormones like Thyroxin,
Insulin, Glucagon, Renin – Angiotensin system etc.
62. Organizer is the part of enbryo which induce another part for differentiation.
63. Haemocyanin is present in Crustacea, Octopus, Squid.
64. Short term adaptations
1. Tanning – darkening of skin in sunlight.
2. Hibernation and Aestivation.
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3. Dormancy in seeds.
4. Multilayered cork in plants.
5. Mangrove plant Poa alpina germinate with in the seed and it remains
attached to parent body and shows Viviparity.
65. Long term adaptations
1. Claw of birds, Beak of birds, Tail of Kangaroo.
2. Absence of stomata in submerged plants, Extensive roots in
Xerophytes.
3. Curved claws in Wall lizard, Pneumatic bones of birds.
4. Night blooming flowers are white and Scented.
5. Mouth parts of Insects for feeding .
6. Humming bird fly and feed nectar.
7. Orchid flower ( Ophrys muscifera ) resembles female wasp.
8. Aquatic plants like Lymnophilia and Heterophylla show Heterophylly
Life span of some animals
1. Shortest life span – May fly – one day
2. Longest life span – Sequoia Red wood tree – 3000 – 4000 years
3. Pepal life span is 2000 – 3000 years
Homologous organs
Same origin but different function
1. Pentadactyle limb of vertebrates –
Limb of frog, Man, Wing of bat,
Flippers of Whale, Wing of bat.
2. Insect mouthparts
3. Thorn of Bougain villea and
Tendril of Passiflora ( Passion
flower )
Connecting Links
Organism showing
characters of two different
groups.
1. Euglena – Plants and
Animals
2. Peripatus –
Arthropoda and
Annelida.
3. Lung fish – Fishes and
Amphibia.
4. Egg laying mammals
– Reptiles and
Mammals
Analogous organs
Different origin but same function
1. Wing of insect and bird
2. Fin of fish and Flipper of
whale.
3. Octopus eye and vertebrate
eye.
4. Leaves and Cladode
( Ruscus )
5. Tuberous root and potato
Vestigeal organs
Organs which are non functional but once
functional in the ancestors
1. Tail bone Coccyx
2. Canine and wisdom teeth
3. Plica semilunaris (nictitating membrane )
4. Auricular muscles – ear pinna muscles
5. Caecum and Vermiform appendix.
6. Vestigeal Pelvic girdle of Green land
Whale.
7. Reduced pelvic girdle and limbs of Python
and Boa
8. Splint bones of Horse
9. 90 Vestigeal organs are present in man
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66. Atavism – Reversion – Reappearance of ancestral characters. Egs. Hairy
Body, additional mammae, power to move ear pinna, large canines.
67. Recapitulation law was put forwarded by Von Baer. It was later called “
Biogenetic law of Haeckel.
68. Igneous rocks
Rocks formed by the solidification of hot earth.
69. Magma
Molten rock below the earth.
70. Shale
Fine grained laminated rock.
71. Metamorphic rock
Marble, Granite.
72. Coprolite
Fossils of foecal pellets.
73. Impressions
Archaeopteryx.
74. Fossil parks of India
Fossil forest ( MP ), Rajmahal Hill ( Bihar )
Old coal forming forest ( Orissa ) National fossil park
( Thiruvakkarai Tamil nadu ).
75. Missing links
Archaeopteryx lithographica ( Lizard bird )
75. Eohippus
First horse It is called “ Dawn Horse “.
76. Mesohippus
Intermediate horse. It was a ruminating horse.
77. Equus
Modern horse.
78. Discontinuous distribution – It is the distribution of animals here and there in
the earth.
Alligator
South America, East America and China.
Peripatus
Nepal, Burma, Sri Lanka.
Ratitae birds Australia, Newzealand
Opposum
America
Kiwi
Newzealand
Kangaroo
Australia
LIVING FOSSILS – Primitive animals showing no trace of evolution.
Echdina, Platypus, Sphenodon, Limulus ( King crab ), Peripatus, Neopilia ( Segmented
molluscs ).
79. Industrial melanism
A phenomenon in which the body colour of the
Peppered moth Biston betularia ( light coloured ) changed in to dark and the
new species Biston carbonaria evolved. It is an example of natural selection
occurred in England folloing Industrial revolution.
80. Retrogressive evolution. It is exhibited by Tapeworm and Wingless insects.
81. Divergent evolution – It is called Adaptive radiation. Placental mammals,
Homologous organs etc are examples of divergent evolution.
82. Parallel evolution - Running habit of deer and horse. Burrowing habit of
Placental mole and Marsupial mole.
83. Microevolution – Example is Industrial melanism.
84. Monophyletic origin – Origin from a common ancestor. Example is origin of
vertebrates from Ostracoderms.
85. Polyphyletic origin – Origin from different forms.
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86. Leonardo da Vinci – Father of Palaentology.
87. Giovanni Avduina – Constructed Geological time scale in 1760.
88. Latimaria – Oldest living fish. Caught on Dec. 1938 from the east cost of South
Africa. Belongs to the group Crossopterygia. It is considered as the ancestor
of land vertebrates.
89. Zoogeography – It is the study of the distribution of animals.
90. Buffon – Father of Evolution.
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UNIT 2 SYSTEMATICS
1.Theophrastus
Father of Botany
2. John Ray
Introduced the term Species.
3. Carolus Linnaeus
Father of taxonomy. His book is ‘Species plantarum ‘
4. System naturae
Book written by Linnaeus for the classification of animals.
5. Trinomial nomenclature Three names are given to an animal – Generic, Specific and
Sub specific. Eg. Homo sapiens sapiens.
6. ICBN
International code of Botanical nomenclature.
7. ICZN
International code of Zoological nomenclature.
8. ICBN
International code of Bacteriology nomenclature.
9. ICVN
International code of Viral nomenclature.
10. ICNCP
International code of nomenclature for cultivated plants.
Classification systems
1. Artificial classification
It considers one or two characters for classification. It is a
change from Aristotle to Linnaeus classification.
2. Sexual system
It was proposed by Linnaeus. Reproductive characters are
considering.
3. Natural system
It includes all relationships of plants. It was suggested by
George Bentham and Joseph Dalton Hooker.
4. Cladistics or Phylogenic It considers the evolutionary sequence and generic relation
of organisms.
5. Whittaker’s system
It is the five kingdom classification.
MONERA
Cyanobacteria and Archebacteria
1. Xanthomonas
Parasitic
2. Pseudomonas
Saprophytic
3. Rhizobium
Symbiotic
4. Cyanobacteria
Photoautotroph
5. Chemoautotrophs Nitrosomonas,
Nitrobactor.
6. Nitrogen fixers - Azotobacter
Archaebacteria
Thermoplasma acidophilum
Halophiles
Bacteria lives in high salt concentration.
Thermoacidophiles
Bacteria lives in high
temperature and acidic medium
Eubacteria
True bacteria like Actinomycetes and
Cyanobacteria
Forms of bacteria
Bacillus
Rod shaped
Coccus
Spherical
Spirillum
Spiral
Vibrio
Coma shaped
It lives in high salt concentration
and can tolerate high
temperature around 80 degree.
It can also survive in acidic
medium.
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Cyanobacteria or Blue green algae
These are gram negative bacteria and are photosynthetic. Classification based on the
structure.
1. Single celled
Eg. Synechococcus.
2. Colonial
Eg. Aphanocapsa.
3. Filamentous
Egs. Nostoc, Anabaena, Oscillatoria.
4. Nitrogen fixers Nostoc, Aulosira.
5. Heterocysts
These are nitrogen fixing cells of Nostoc.
6. Spirulina
Bluegreen algae used to produce SCP. It is rich in beta
carotene, a precursor of vitamin A.