UPMSP Intermediate Agricultural Zoology cheat sheet

Taxonomic hierarchy: Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species; binomial names are italicized, genus capitalized, species lower case (e.g., Homo sapiens).

Major invertebrate phyla include Porifera, Cnidaria (Coelenterata), Platyhelminthes, Nematoda (Aschelminthes), Annelida, Arthropoda, Mollusca and Echinodermata; Chordata includes vertebrates plus tunicates and lancelets.

Symmetry: Porifera mostly asymmetric; Cnidaria and adult Echinodermata radially symmetrical; Platyhelminthes onward bilaterally symmetrical.

Body cavity: Platyhelminthes acoelomate; Nematoda pseudocoelomate; Annelida, Mollusca, Arthropoda and Chordata eucoelomate with a true coelom lined by mesoderm.

Arthropoda is the largest phylum; key features are chitinous exoskeleton, jointed appendages, segmented body, moulting (ecdysis) and open circulatory system.

Chordate diagnostic features at some stage: notochord, dorsal hollow nerve cord, pharyngeal gill slits and post-anal tail.

Life cycles: Ascaris lumbricoides is monoxenic (single host); Taenia solium uses pig as intermediate host; Fasciola hepatica uses snail; Plasmodium needs human and female Anopheles.

Pheretima posthuma (earthworm) is hermaphrodite with clitellum; excretory organs are nephridia; respiration occurs through moist skin.

Insect identification: three pairs of legs and three body regions; arachnids have four pairs of legs and two body regions.

Cell theory: all living organisms are made of cells; cells arise from pre-existing cells; the cell is the structural and functional unit.

Prokaryotic cells lack a membrane-bound nucleus and organelles; eukaryotic cells have a nucleus, mitochondria, ER, Golgi body, lysosomes and cytoskeleton.

Mitochondria are the site of aerobic respiration and ATP production; ribosomes synthesize proteins; rough ER transports proteins; smooth ER synthesizes lipids; Golgi packages secretions; lysosomes contain hydrolytic enzymes.

Four basic animal tissues: epithelial (covering/lining), connective (support, transport), muscular (contraction) and nervous (coordination).

Digestion: salivary amylase converts starch to maltose; pepsin digests proteins in acidic stomach; pancreatic trypsin and lipase act in alkaline small intestine; villi absorb nutrients.

Respiration: oxygen binds haemoglobin in RBCs; CO2 is transported mainly as bicarbonate; alveoli provide a thin, moist, large surface for gas exchange.

Circulation: fish have a two-chambered heart; amphibians three; birds and mammals four; arteries carry blood away from the heart, veins toward it.

Excretion: the nephron performs glomerular filtration, selective tubular reabsorption and secretion; urea is the main nitrogenous waste in mammals.

Endocrine control: insulin lowers blood glucose; glucagon raises it; thyroid hormones regulate metabolism; adrenaline prepares the fight-or-flight response.

Mendel's law of dominance: in a heterozygote, one allele may mask expression of the other; law of segregation: alleles separate during gamete formation; law of independent assortment: genes on different chromosomes assort independently.

Monohybrid F2 phenotypic ratio 3:1 and genotypic ratio 1:2:1; dihybrid F2 ratio 9:3:3:1; a test cross with homozygous recessive gives 1:1 for a heterozygote.

Genotype is genetic constitution; phenotype is observable trait; homozygous carries identical alleles; heterozygous carries different alleles.

Sex determination: XY in mammals and Drosophila (male heterogametic); ZW in birds and Lepidoptera (female heterogametic); haplodiploidy in Hymenoptera.

Mutation: sudden heritable change in DNA; point mutation changes one base; chromosomal mutation involves deletion, duplication, inversion or translocation; mutagens include UV, X-rays and some chemicals.

Variation may be continuous (quantitative, e.g., milk yield) or discontinuous (qualitative, e.g., blood group); sources include mutation, recombination and environment.

Breeding methods: mass selection, progeny selection, pureline selection, inbreeding, outcrossing, crossbreeding and grading up; heterosis is exploited in crossbreds.

Artificial insemination and embryo transfer are assisted breeding tools; selection differential and generation interval determine genetic gain.

Sex-linked traits are carried on sex chromosomes; X-linked recessive disorders appear more often in males because males have one X chromosome.

Insect body has head (sensory and feeding), thorax (three segments, locomotion) and abdomen (viscera and reproduction); adults have three pairs of legs and usually two pairs of wings.

Mouthpart types: chewing (mandibulate) in grasshoppers; piercing-sucking in aphids and mosquitoes; siphoning in butterflies; sponging in houseflies; lapping in honeybees; rasping-sucking in thrips.

Wing modifications: Diptera have one pair of wings and halteres; Lepidoptera have scale-covered wings; Coleoptera have hardened elytra; Apterygota are primarily wingless.

Leg modifications: cursorial (running), saltatorial (jumping), fossorial (digging), natatorial (swimming), raptorial (catching prey) and corbiculate (pollen basket).

Antenna types include filiform, setaceous, clavate, serrate, pectinate, plumose, lamellate and aristate; antennae are sensory organs for smell and touch.

Metamorphosis: ametabolous (little change), hemimetabolous (egg–nymph–adult) and holometabolous (egg–larva–pupa–adult); holometabolous insects show greatest divergence between larva and adult.

Larval types: campodeiform, scarabaeiform, vermiform, eruciform, elateriform and cruciform; pupal types: exarate, obtect and coarctate.

Economically important orders: Orthoptera (locusts), Hemiptera (bugs, aphids), Lepidoptera (moths), Coleoptera (beetles), Diptera (flies), Hymenoptera (bees, wasps) and Isoptera (termites).

Taxonomy places Insecta under Arthropoda; insects have a segmented body, exoskeleton, one pair of antennae and compound eyes.

Pest damage types: borers tunnel into stems or fruits; sucking pests remove sap and cause yellowing or curling; defoliators consume leaves; root feeders damage underground parts; stored-product pests infest grain.

Rice: yellow stem borer (Scirpophaga incertulas) causes dead hearts and white earheads; brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) causes hopper burn.

Cotton: American bollworm Helicoverpa armigera and pink bollworm Pectinophora gossypiella bore into squares and bolls; sucking pests include aphids, jassids and whiteflies.

Wheat: aphids and termites are important; sugarcane: top borer, stem borer and pyrilla; pulses: pod borer and bruchids in storage.

Stored grain pests: Sitophilus oryzae (rice weevil), Rhyzopertha dominica (lesser grain borer), Tribolium castaneum (red flour beetle), Callosobruchus chinensis (pulse beetle) and Corcyra cephalonica (rice moth).

Horticultural pests: fruit flies (Bactrocera) in mango and guava; mango hopper; citrus leaf miner; tomato fruit borer; brinjal shoot and fruit borer.

IPM components: pest monitoring and identification, economic threshold level, cultural methods, mechanical/physical control, biological control, resistant varieties and need-based chemical control.

Life-cycle knowledge identifies vulnerable stages; for holometabolous pests, larvae usually cause damage and pupae survive in soil, plant debris or stored products.

Apiculture species in India: Apis mellifera, Apis cerana indica, Apis dorsata (rock bee) and Apis florea (little bee); A. mellifera and A. cerana are managed in movable-frame hives.

Honeybee colony castes: one queen (fertile female, lays eggs), drones (males, mate) and workers (sterile females that forage, build comb, nurse brood and guard).

Bee products: honey, beeswax, royal jelly, propolis and bee venom; bees also provide pollination, improving yields of many crops.

Sericulture: Bombyx mori (mulberry silkworm) passes through egg, larva, pupa and adult; silk is secreted by salivary silk glands of the larva; moriculture is mulberry cultivation.

Lac culture: Kerria lacca infests host trees such as ber (Ziziphus mauritiana) and palash (Butea monosperma); the female secretes lac resin around the body.

Biological control agents: Trichogramma (egg parasitoid), Bracon and Chelonus (larval parasitoids), ladybird beetles and Chrysoperla (predators), Bacillus thuringiensis and NPV (pathogens).

Pollinators include honeybees, bumblebees, butterflies, moths, flies and some beetles; pollination is an ecosystem service essential for fruit and seed set.

Soil fauna: earthworms, termites, ants, Collembola, mites and nematodes influence decomposition, nutrient cycling and soil structure.

Plant-parasitic nematodes: Meloidogyne incognita causes root galls; Tylenchulus semipenetrans affects citrus; Pratylenchus species cause root lesions; symptoms include stunting, yellowing and wilting.

Nematode management: crop rotation with non-hosts, resistant varieties, soil solarization, organic amendments, biological agents such as Paecilomyces lilacinus, and nematicides.

Rodent pests: rats and mice damage stored grain, seedlings and fruits; management uses sanitation, rat-proof storage, traps, glue boards and anticoagulant baits.

Rodenticides: bromadiolone and warfarin are anticoagulants; zinc phosphide is an acute rodenticide; baiting must avoid non-target animals and follow label directions.

Bird pests: house sparrow, weaver bird, rose-ringed parakeet and crows damage cereals and fruits; management includes scarers, reflective ribbons, netting, trapping and habitat manipulation.

Molluscan pests: apple snail (Pomacea) damages paddy seedlings; slugs and snails damage vegetables; management includes hand picking, water-level manipulation, metaldehyde baits and duck rearing.

Mites are not insects: red spider mite and yellow mite suck sap and cause bronzing; control uses acaricides, predatory mites and moisture management.

Integrated management of non-insect pests combines prevention, monitoring, mechanical, biological, cultural and need-based chemical measures.

Formulation types: emulsifiable concentrate (EC), wettable powder (WP), suspension concentrate (SC), dust, granule, bait, fumigant and water-dispersible granule; each determines mixing and application.

Mode of action categories: contact, stomach, systemic and fumigant; many insecticides act on nerve transmission (organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids), while others affect respiration or growth.

Dosage is quantity of active ingredient per unit area or volume; dilution converts commercial formulation to spray concentration using the labelled active ingredient content.

Spray equipment: knapsack sprayer, rocker sprayer, hand compression sprayer, motorized sprayer, duster and fogger; nozzle type and pressure affect droplet size and coverage.

Calibration determines spray volume delivered per hectare; worn nozzles, incorrect pressure and improper mixing cause under- or over-application and residue problems.

Safety: read label and leaflet; wear PPE (gloves, mask, goggles, apron); avoid spraying against wind; never eat, drink or smoke during handling; store pesticides locked away from food.

Pre-harvest interval (PHI) is the minimum days between last spray and harvest; re-entry interval protects workers from residues; maximum residue limit (MRL) is the legal residue tolerance.

First aid: remove contaminated clothing, wash skin with soap and water, flush eyes; for corrosive or petroleum products do not induce vomiting; seek medical help and show the label. Atropine is an antidote for organophosphate/carbamate poisoning.

Cattle breeds: indigenous milch breeds include Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, Gir and Tharparkar; exotic dairy breeds include Holstein Friesian and Jersey; buffalo breeds include Murrah, Surti and Nili-Ravi.

Poultry breeds: Leghorn (egg type), Rhode Island Red (dual purpose), Aseel and Kadaknath (indigenous); broilers are raised for meat, layers for eggs.

Housing: loose housing and stanchion barns; adequate floor space, ventilation, clean water, dry bedding and manure disposal reduce disease and stress.

Feeding: roughage and concentrate in a balanced ration; protein, energy, minerals and vitamins; clean drinking water is essential for milk production.

Common cattle diseases: foot-and-mouth disease (viral), haemorrhagic septicaemia and black quarter (bacterial), mastitis (udder infection), brucellosis (zoonotic); vaccination and hygiene are preventive.

Poultry diseases: Newcastle disease (Ranikhet), fowl pox, infectious bronchitis, coccidiosis and avian influenza; biosecurity, vaccination and sanitation are key.

Fisheries: Indian major carps are catla, rohu and mrigal; composite fish culture stocks surface, column and bottom feeders to use pond niches; exotic carps include silver carp and grass carp.

Dairy zoology: lactation curve, clean milking, cooling and hygienic storage improve milk quality; zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis and tuberculosis require control.

Ecosystem components: abiotic (light, temperature, water, soil, nutrients) and biotic (producers, consumers, decomposers); energy enters mainly as solar radiation and flows one way.

Food chain and food web: producers → herbivores → carnivores → decomposers; trophic levels; only about 10% of energy passes to the next level (10% law).

Biogeochemical cycles (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, water) recycle nutrients between organisms and environment; decomposers return nutrients to soil.

Biodiversity levels: genetic, species and ecosystem diversity; India is a megadiverse country with biodiversity hotspots such as the Western Ghats and Eastern Himalaya.

Pollution types: air, water, soil, noise and radioactive; biomagnification is accumulation of persistent pollutants at higher trophic levels; indicator species reveal pollution.

Protected areas: national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves, tiger reserves and community reserves; examples include Jim Corbett, Dudhwa, Kaziranga and Sundarbans.

In situ conservation protects species in natural habitat (protected areas, sacred groves); ex situ conservation uses zoos, botanical gardens, seed banks and cryopreservation.

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 provides legal protection to wild animals and plants; Project Tiger (1973) and Project Elephant conserve flagship species and habitats.

Ecological succession is directional change in community composition; primary succession starts on bare substrate, secondary succession follows disturbance.