UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS
B.Sc. DEGREE COURSE IN Zoology
SEMESTER SYSTEM WITH CREDITS
(Effective from the Academic Year 2003-2004)

SYLLABUS

Semester VI - Paper IX - Environmental Biology

Duration of Examination: 3 hrs
Maximum Marks: 100
Credits: 4

Unit I

Introduction

Scope - concept - Branthes in Ecology: Autoecology,synecology, integrated ecology, Micro and macro environment. Types of media and subsatum and their influence on animals. Biosphere - Hydrosphere, Lithosphere, Stratosphere. Bicoenosis (community and Biogeocoenosis (ecosystem).

Abiotic factors

Water, Properties: Forms of water, soft & hard water. Air: Composition - properties Substratum: Soil: Varieties - soil formation, soil texture, soil groups of India, sod profile, soil water, soil chemistry. Temperature: Distribution of temperature, changes in time, horizontal, vertical. Thermal stratification. Temperature as a limiting factor Homeotherms, poikilotherms, thermal adaptations - meeting extremes of temperature Dormancy, hibernation, aestivation, torpidity, diapause. Light:- composition - light on land and water. Biological effects of light on aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Light as a limiting factor. Reproduction, Metamorphosis, pigmentation, vision, photokinesis phototropism, photoperiodism, migration. Ecological effects on photosynthesis, Pressure, Gravity. Moisture and humidity. Atmospheric gases: Oxygen, Carbondioxide.

Limiting factors - Leibig's law of Minimum - Shelfords law of Tolerance. Biogeochemical cycles - Gaseous cycle: Oxygen, carbon, nitrogen cycles. Sedimentary cycle: Sulphur, phosphorus.

Biotic factors: Intra specific and interspecific associations. Aggregation colony formation, socal organization, competition. Predation, parasitism, autibiosrs commensalisms, mutualism, neutralism. Interspecific competition: Competative principle or Gause's principle.

Unit II

Ecosystem

Structure and function of ecosystem. - Concepts, components, structure, relationship between habitat and ecological niche - Autotrophic and heterotrophic producer, consumer - trophic level - energy flow in an ecosystem - food chain - food web - pyramids - ecological efficiencies - primary productivity - methods of measurements. Stages of decomposition and benefits. Ecotypes. Homeostasis of ecosystem. Terrestrial habitat: Biomes - characters tundra, grass land, forest (coniferous, tropical, temperate, deciduous). Deserts - fauna, adaptations of animals inhabiting deserts and caves. 'Types of forests in India. Fresh water habitat. Physico-chemical nature of fresh water - biotic communities - lentic-lakes (Oligotrophic and Eutrophic) - ponds - biotic communities of ponds, swamps, lotic - river, streams. Marine ecology Characteristics salinity temperature - pressure, zonation and stratification - chemical properties - biotic communities of pelagic and benthic zone, intertidal zone (rocky shore, sandy shore and muddy shore) sublittoral zone, coral reefs as a specialized oceanic ecosystem Estuarine ecology: Characteristics, types, fauna and their adaptations. Mangroove ecosystem: Ecological conditions - flora and fauna, mangroves of India.

Unit III

Population Ecology

Population: definition - Characteristics - Density: measurements of density, natality, mortality, survivorship curve, age distribution age pyramids - population growth forms, concept of carrying capacity. Population fluctuations: Seasonal and annual population equilibrium - biotic potential - population dispersal - regulation of population density: density dependent factors, reproduction, predation, emigration, disease, social behaviours, ecotone and edge effect - ecological succession and community evolution, classification of community.

Unit IV

Applied Ecology

Pollution: Origin - pollution as the limiting factor for man - pollutants - Degradable & Non-degradable air, water, land, noise, thermal radiation, radioactive radiation), green house effect, global warming, acid rain. Air pollution: Source - methods of detection and measurements of air pollution.

Water pollution: kinds and sources of water pollution - ecology of water pollution - sewage - industrial - thermal - silt-pollution - estuarine - economic - leather tannery - strategy for waste water management and control. Land pollution: Land degradation, radiation, soil erosion, desertification - causes, hazards and control Solid waste - Garbage Management.

Conservation - Wild life management: preservation - laws enforced - sanctuaries, national parks. Natural resources management: renewable - forest, fishes and crops, nonrenewable - fossil fuels, metals and minerals.

Unit V

Environmental Issues

Environmental degradation - deforestation - urbanization - population explosion and other environmental hazards - depleting natural resources and relationship between poverty and environmental degradation and vice versa - competition, man's thoughtless exploitation of natural resources - Hiroshima and Nagasaki - Bhopal tragedy - Gulf war - oil pollution. Pnnciples of Environmental Impact Assessment and Environmental Monitoring and Auditing. Environmental ethics and laws - Earth summits - Role of Governmental & Non-Governmental agencies for environmental monitoring.

REFERENCE:

1. Kotpal, R.L. and N.P. Bali, 1986. Concepts of Ecology, Vishal Publications, Delhi - 7, 264 pp.

2. Rastogi V.B. and M.S. Jayaraj, 1988-89. Animal Ecology and distribution of animals, Kedar Nath Ram Nath, Meerut - 250 001, 429 pp.

3. Clarke, G.L., 1954. Elements of Ecology, John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York, London, 534 pp

4. Ananthakrishnan, T.N. and S.Viswanathan, Principles of Animal Ecology.

5. Eugene P. Odum, 1971. Fundamentals of Ecology. Saunders Internatioanal Student Edition, W.B.Saunders Company, Philadelphia, London, Toronto, 574 pp.

6. Verma, P.S. and V.K.Agarwal, 1986. Environmental Biology, S.Chand & Co. Ltd., 591 pp.

7. Richard Manual of Wild life Conservation

8. Our Environment Pollution control & future strategies - M.P.Mishra - S.Chand & Company - 2000

9. Fundamentals of Environmental Pollution - Krishnan Kannan - S.Chand & Company - 1997.