UP CPMT - 2003 (Biology)

Amoeba is a unicellular animal having one cell. It performs all the functions through it.

The pH of blood is 7.4. It is slightly on the alkaline side.

It is an amylase that is present in saliva. It catalyses the hydrolysis of starch into maltose and dextrin.

Freshwater snails of Oncomelania genus are an important intermediate host for S. japonicum. Final hosts are humans and other mammals including cats, dogs, goats, horses and pigs.

The protein fibre of silk is mainly composed of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons.

Euglena uses its chloroplasts to produce nutrients through photosynthesis.

Chromosomes are best seen during cell division when they are most condensed, especially during metaphase. They are seen by light microscope or by special stains.

Homeothermy is thermoregulation that maintains a stable internal body temperature, regardless of external influences.

All primary blood cells are produced and derived from multipotent cells in the bone marrow. These cells are known as hematopoietic stem cells.

Arthropoda is the largest phylum in the animal kingdom, which includes familiar forms as lobsters, crabs, spiders, mites, insects, centipedes and millipedes. About 84 percent of all known species of animals are members of this phylum.

It is a red protein that is responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood of vertebrates. Its molecule comprises four subunits, each containing an iron atom bound to a haem group.

Human erythrocytes are produced through a process named erythropoiesis. They develop from committed stem cells to mature erythrocytes in about seven days. When matured, these cells live in blood circulation for about 100 to 120 days in a healthy individual.

Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an infectious disease that is caused by poliovirus.

Mesozoic era lasted about 180 million years and is divided into the Triassic, the Jurassic and the Cretaceous periods. Jurassic period is called as the age of reptiles.

Kupffer cells are phagocytic cells which form the lining of the sinusoids of the liver and are involved in the breakdown of red blood cells.

A chromosome with the centromere so placed that it divides the chromosome into two arms of strikingly unequal length is sub-metacentric. Such chromosomes are L-shaped.

A codon is a sequence of three DNA or RNA nucleotides that corresponds with a specific amino acid or stop signal during protein synthesis. DNA and RNA molecules are written in a language of four nucleotides.

Nerve cells are the primary cells in the nervous system. They are responsible for relaying electrical messages to cells and tissues in other organ systems.

Thyroxine is a hormone that is produced by the thyroid gland. In humans, this hormone controls metabolism and shedding. In amphibians (not just axolotls), it stimulates metamorphosis. Metamorphosis can be induced by giving the salamander thyroxine, but a more convenient alternative is to add iodine to the water.

Mast cell is filled with basophil granules that are found in numbers in connective tissue. They release histamine and other substances during inflammatory and allergic reactions.

The Miller Urey experiment (or Miller experiment) was a chemical experiment that simulated the conditions thought to be present at the time of early Earth and tested the chemical origin of life under those conditions.

Corpus allatum is an endocrine gland which generates juvenile hormone. It plays a crucial role in metamorphosis. Surgical removal of corpora allata can cause an immature larva to pupate at its next molt, resulting in a miniature adult.

Pleistocene is the first epoch of the Quaternary period or sixth epoch of the Cenozoic Era. Primitive man originated during this period.

Oocysts are stages of malaria parasites developing in the walls of a mosquito midgut (stomach). The midgut is in the lower half and the oocysts appear as multiple spheres that are embedded in the midgut's wall. Such oocysts were seen, for the first time, by Sir Ronald Ross on 20th August, 1897.

Lepidoptera is an order of insects that includes moths and butterflies (both called lepidopterans).

It is a motile spore-like stage in the life cycle of some parasitic sporozoans (e.g. the malaria organism), which is typically the infective agent introduced into a host.

FSH is synthesised and secreted by gonadotropic cells of the anterior pituitary gland. It regulates the development, growth, pubertal maturation and reproductive processes of the body.

A person having AB blood group is able to receive blood from a person having any other blood type. Group AB blood contains red blood cells that have both antigens A and B. Thus, it does not have reactive antibodies in its plasma to these antigens, which are found in some other blood types.

Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea.

Earthworm has no special respiratory organ. It respires through its skin.

A tendon serves to move the bone or structure. A ligament is a fibrous connective tissue which attaches bone to bone and usually serves to hold structures together and keep them stable.

The theory of recapitulation is often expressed in Ernst Haeckel's phrase 'ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny'. It is a largely discredited biological hypothesis that in developing from embryo to adult, animals go through stages resembling or representing successive stages in the evolution of their remote ancestors.

Sertoli cells are somatic around which spermatids develop in the tubules of the testis.

Goitre is an enlarged thyroid gland. It can mean that all the thyroid gland is swollen or enlarged, or one or more swellings or lumps have developed in a part or parts of the thyroid.

Seahorse is the name given to 54 species of small marine fishes in the genus Hippocampus.

Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) is a hormone that is produced in the anterior or front pituitary gland. The function of ACTH is to regulate levels of cortisol, which is released from the adrenal gland. 

The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring. The theory of its action was first fully expounded by Charles Darwin and it is now regarded as the main process that brings about evolution.

The theory of recapitulation is often expressed in Ernst Haeckel's phrase 'ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny'. Ontogeny is the history of development of embryo.

Archaeopteryx, the first animal discovered, had both bird and dinosaur features.

It is a method of making multiple copies of a DNA sequence, involving repeated reactions with a polymerase.

Pinctada is a genus of saltwater clams (marine bivalve molluscs) in the family Pteriidae, the pearl oysters. These oysters have a strong inner shell layer that is composed of nacre, also known as mother of pearl.

It is the branch of zoology that concerns reptiles and amphibians.

African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, is a parasitic disease of humans and other animals. It is caused by protozoa of the species Trypanosoma brucei.

Vitamin B₁₂, also called cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin that contains the central metal ion (cobalt).

Insulin and glucagon are hormones that help to regulate levels of blood sugar (glucose) in our body. They are secreted by pancreas.

Clotting requires calcium ions. Blood banks use a chelating agent to bind the calcium in donated blood, so the blood will not clot in the bag.

Echolocation is the use of sound waves and echoes to determine where objects are in space. Bats use echolocation to navigate and find food in the dark. To echolocate, bats send out sound waves from their mouth or nose. When the sound waves hit an object they produce echoes.

Capacitation is a functional maturation of the spermatozoon. The changes take place through the sperm cell membrane in which it may be that receptors are made available through the removal of a glycoprotein layer.

Sex-linked genetic disorders are conditions that are caused by a defective gene on the X chromosome, one of the sex chromosomes. These disorders may also involve a deviation in the number of X or Y chromosomes, such as haemophilia and colour blindness.

A gene is the basic physical and functional unit of heredity. Genes, which are made up of DNA, act on instructions to make molecules called proteins. These are found on chromosomes.