CUET 2026 Syllabus Biology Biological Science Biotechnology Biochemistry (Code 304)

Biology/Biological
FOR THE YEAR 2026
Science/Biotechnology/
Biochemistry (304)
Syllabus for CUET (UG)

Unit-VI: Reproduction

1. Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants: Pre-fertilisation: structure and events – stamen,
microsporangium and pollen grain, pistil, megasporangium and embryo sac; Development of
male (microsporogenesis) and female gametophyte (megasporogenesis); Pollination – types,
agents and examples; Out breeding devices; Pollen-pistil interaction; Double fertilisation;
Post fertilisation: structure and events – development of endosperm and embryo; Formation
of seed and fruit and parthenocarpy; Significance of seed in angiosperms; Apomixis and
polyembryony.

2. Human Reproduction: Male and female reproductive system; Microscopic anatomy of
testis and ovary; Gametogenesis – spermatogenesis and oogenesis; Menstrual cycle;
Fertilisation, embryo development up to blastocyst formation, implantation; Pregnancy and
embryonic development and placenta; Parturition and lactation.

3. Reproductive Health: Problems and strategies – amniocentesis; Population stabilisation and
birth control – various methods of contraception; Medical termination of pregnancy (MTP);
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs); Infertility – Assisted reproductive technologies (IVF,
ZIFT, GIFT, ICSI and IUI).

Unit-VII: Genetics and Evolution

1. Principles of Inheritance and Variation: Mendel’s law of inheritance: Inheritance of one
gene – Law of dominance, law of segregation (test and back cross); Deviation from
Mendelism – incomplete dominance and co-dominance; Multiple alleles and inheritance of
blood groups; Inheritance of two genes – law of independent assortment, dihybrid cross;
Chromosomal theory of inheritance; Linkage and recombination; Polygenic inheritance;
Pleiotropy; Sex determination in humans, birds and honey bee; Mutation; Genetic disorders
– pedigree analysis, Mendelian disorders (colour blindness, haemophilia, sickle-cell anaemia,
phenylketonuria and thalassemia), chromosomal disorders in humans (aneuploidy,
polyploidy, Down's syndrome, Turner's syndrome and Klinefelter's syndrome).

2. Molecular Basis of Inheritance: Structure and packaging of DNA helix; Search for genetic
material (transforming principle and Hershey-Chase experiment); Properties of genetic
material; Replication (Meselson and Stahl’s experiment); Transcription – transcription unit
and gene; RNA world – types of RNA and process of transcription; Genetic code and
mutations; tRNA; Translation; Regulation of gene expression – Lac operon; Human Genome
Project (goals, salient features and applications); DNA fingerprinting (polymorphism and
VNTR).

3. Evolution: Origin of life – Miller’s experiment; Concepts of evolution (Darwin's
contribution); Evidences for evolution (embryology, paleontology, comparative anatomy,
divergent and convergent evolution and industrial evolution); Adaptive radiation; Biological
evolution; Natural selection; Mechanism of evolution; Hardy-Weinberg principle and
affecting factors (gene migration, genetic drift, mutation, recombination and natural
selection); Evolution of plants and vertebrates through geological periods; Origin and
evolution of man.

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Unit-VIII: Biology and Human Welfare

1. Human Health and Disease: Introduction about health; Common diseases in humans
(typhoid, pneumonia, common cold, malaria, amoebiasis, ascariasis, filariasis and
ringworms); Immunity – innate and acquired immunity, active and passive immunity,
vaccination and immunisation, allergies, auto-immunity and immune system in human;
AIDS; Cancer; Drugs and alcohol abuse - adolescence, addiction, effects of drug abuse,
prevention and control.

2. Microbes in Human Welfare: Microbes in household products; Microbes in industrial
products – beverages, antibiotics, enzymes and bioactive molecules; Microbes in sewage
treatment and production of biogas, Microbes as biocontrol agents and biofertilisers.

Unit-IX: Biotechnology and its Applications
1. Biotechnology: Principles and Processes: Principles of biotechnology; Tools of
recombinant DNA technology – restriction enzymes, cloning vectors, competent host;
Processes of rDNA technology – isolation, amplification of gene (PCR), insertion of rDNA
in host and bioreactors; Downstream processing.

2. Biotechnology and its Applications: Application of biotechnology in agriculture – tissue
culture, genetically modified organisms, Bt cotton, RNA interference; Biotechnology in
medicine – insulin, gene therapy and molecular diagnosis; Transgenic animals; Ethical issues
– biopiracy and patents.

Unit-X: Ecology and Environment

1. Organisms and Populations: Population attributes – birth and death rate, age pyramids;
Population growth – exponential and logistic growth; Life history variation; Population
interactions – predation, competition, parasitism, commensalism, mutualism and amensalism.

2. Ecosystem: Structure and function; Productivity; Decomposition; Energy flow – different
trophic levels, food chain and food web; Ecological pyramids – pyramid of energy, biomass
and number.

3. Biodiversity and Conservation: Biodiversity – concept, patterns and importance; Causes of
biodiversity loss; Biodiversity conservation – approaches (narrowly utilitarian, broadly
utilitarian and ethical); Methods of biodiversity conservation – in situ (endemism, hotspots
and sacred groves etc.), ex situ (Wildlife safaris, zoological parks and cryopreservation etc.).

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