Answer in short on any seven. a) What do you understand by apiculture? b) Define genetic engineering. c) What is the first form of life? d) Define taxonomy. e) What is conjugation? f) Define the…

a) Apiculture

Apiculture is the practice of keeping and managing honey‑beeding insects, primarily the honeybee Apis mellifera, for the production of honey, beeswax, royal jelly, propolis and for pollination services. It involves providing suitable hives, ensuring adequate forage, disease control and harvesting of bee products.

b) Genetic engineering

Genetic engineering is the deliberate modification of an organism’s genome using biotechnology tools. Specific genes are inserted, deleted or altered by recombinant DNA techniques, enabling the expression of desired traits such as pest resistance in crops, production of insulin in bacteria, or creation of transgenic animals.

c) First form of life

The first form of life on Earth is believed to have been simple, unicellular prokaryotes—primarily anaerobic, chemolithotrophic bacteria or archaea—that appeared about 3.5–4.0 billion years ago. These organisms lacked a true nucleus and organelles and obtained energy from inorganic chemical reactions.

d) Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the scientific discipline of classifying living organisms into hierarchical categories based on shared characteristics and evolutionary relationships. The main ranks are:

• Domain
• Kingdom
• Phylum (Division in plants)
• Class
• Order
• Family
• Genus
• Species

e) Conjugation

Conjugation is a form of sexual reproduction in certain unicellular organisms (e.g., Paramecium, Escherichia coli) where two cells temporarily join and exchange genetic material through a cytoplasmic bridge (conjugation tube). This process increases genetic variation without the formation of a zygote.

f) Haemocoelomate

A haemocoelomate is an animal whose body cavity is filled with haemolymph (blood‑like fluid) rather than being divided into a true coelom. Insects, arachnids and many molluscs are haemocoelomates; the haemocoel functions as both circulatory and body cavity, allowing diffusion of nutrients and gases.

g) Haemozoin

Haemozoin is a crystalline pigment formed by the polymerisation of heme released during the digestion of host blood by malaria parasites (Plasmodium spp.). The parasite converts toxic free heme into inert haemozoin (also called malaria pigment) to avoid oxidative damage.

h) Scientific names

• Millipede: Diplopoda (class) – a representative species is Oxidus gracilis.
• Tiger: Panthera tigris.

i) Biological control of pest

Biological control (biocontrol) is the use of living organisms—predators, parasitoids, pathogens or competitors—to suppress pest populations to acceptable levels. Examples include releasing ladybird beetles (Coccinellidae) against aphids, or Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) spores against lepidopteran larvae.

j) Taxis

Taxis is a directed movement of an organism in response to a stimulus. The direction is oriented toward (positive taxis) or away from (negative taxis) the source. Types include phototaxis (light), chemotaxis (chemical), thermotaxis (temperature) and geotaxis (gravity).