Archive for the ‘Biology’ Category

Biology – Characteristics of Fish – An Introduction



Fish are vertebrate animals, that is, they all have a vertebral column or ‘spine’. There are two main groups of fish, bony fish (Teleosts) and cartilaginous fish (Elasmobranchs). As the common names imply, the skeletons of teleosts are made of bone while the elasmobranchs have cartilaginous skeletons. The elasmobranchs comprise sharks, rays and dogfish which differ from teleosts in many respects. The teleosts are far more numerous, with a greater diversity of species than the elasmobranchs.

All fish are aquatic and breath by absorbing dissolved oxygen in the water using their gills. The bodies of both teleosts and elasmobranchs are covered with scales but those of elasmobranchs are spiky and project through the skin. This makes the skin feel very rough, like coarse sandpaper. The scales of the teleosts have a flattened, discoid shape and are covered by a thin layer of skin and mucus which probably reduces friction between the body and the surrounding water and makes them very slippery.

The swimming mechanism in both groups is very similar. A series of muscular contractions pass down each side of the fish alternately bending it from side to side and pushing backwards and sideways against the water. The water resistance exerts an opposite sideways and forward force on the fish. The sideways forces cancel each other but the forward force propels the fish forward. In both groups there are variations in this method of propulsion. Skates and rays make undulatory movements in the vertical plane as do flatfish like plaice. Some teleosts, such as the sea horse, propel themselves by undulatory movements of their dorsal fin.

In general, the fins contribute to stability and steering rather than propulsion. The median fins, dorsal and ventral, reduce the sideways thrust of the swimming movements and also reduce the tendency to roll from side to side. The paired fins help to steer the fish upwards or downwards through the water and contribute to turning and braking. The paired fins of elasmobranches are held in rather rigid positions while those of teleosts, with their flexible jointing to the body, are more versatile in their movements and can often be seen moving gently to keep the fish in a steady position.

In the teleosts, there is a swim bladder. An elongated, air-filled sac just below the vertebral column. This air bladder keeps the fish buoyant and prevents it from sinking when it stops swimming. The volume of the air bladder can be adjusted to compensate for changes in pressure at different depths. The elasmobranchs do not have swim bladders and so they start to sink if they stop swimming.

Although water is H2O, aquatic creatures cannot use the oxygen from this. The oxygen they breathe comes from the air which has dissolved in the water. There are four or five pairs of gills situated inside the mouth cavity. In teleosts, they are covered on the outside by a bony plate called the operculum. By movements of the floor of the mouth and operculum, the fish creates, a current of water which passes over its gills. Water is taken in through the mouth and expelled through the operculum in the case of teleosts, and out through separate gill slits in elasmobranchs. The gills are, in effect, finely branched, thin-walled blood vessels which, because of their multiple branches, expose an enormous surface to the water and so facilitate absorption of oxygen and loss of carbon dioxide.

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Gamsat Preparation Suggested Books – Biology



We have already suggested a few books that would help you prepare for the chemistry part of Section III. We have also told you why it is important to have textbooks and use them liberally. Now, in our next episode we will tell you the importance of having a Biology guide with you for your GAMSAT preps.

There has been speculations about how important Biology is in GAMSAT. I mean GAMSAT questions are reasoning based, isn’t it? All the information is given right there, so why do we at all study biology?
First: Good question.

Second: Let’s answer this with an example. Say you’ve been asked a set of questions about the heart rate and pulse rate. All data is given right there. You need to understand and analyse the data and choose the right option. Sounds easy enough.

But you get only about 90 seconds to answer one question (110 questions in 170 minutes… you do the math!). Would you get enough time to remember what are the things you should have in mind to understand what the question actually requires? Probably not!

That is why we say, Non-science aspirants have a better chance to get an interview call since they don’t take this for granted. They study from scratch. So, a word of advice for science aspirants: Study like how non-science students would study.

Now that I have made my point clear of why we should get a Biology textbook, let’s proceed with what could be looked at from the heaps of books lying in the bookshop. Here, we are trying to help you choose the right needle from the haystack.

Biology

Biology by Campbell et al. is the book where you will get the basic knowledge. Try getting the latest edition of the book as science is always evolving. Now you know what Nobel Laureates are doing? Increasing the pages of the book of course!!

Other books that you can have a look at are Knox et al. Biology: An Australian Focus and Biological Science by Scott Freeman. The later though has too much information. If you know how to get info you need, from huge books, then pick it up, or else, let them stay at the shelf!

Till now, all we’ve talked about is general biology. The thrust topics in GAMSAT in this subject is in physiology and biochemistry. Here are some books that would help you with those specific topics.

First things first… don’t be scared seeing “physiology” in the last paragraph. Surely you will be studying all about physiology in the 4 years you spend in the medical school. But before that you will need to know a little of this topic before the med-school can put in more into your frontal lobe.

To study that “little’ of physiology, we will recommend you to get hold of the most basic and simple Schaum’s Outlines Anatomy & Physiology. It will give you a concise information with better explanations than many other books. And in our opinion this will be all that you will need for Physiology in Biology for GAMSAT.

Coming to biochemistry… There are 2 books which you can take a look at. Before I tell you the names, a word… Library. Remember the following books when you visit that.

1. Lehninger’s principles of biochemistry – BRILLIANT book (from personal experience). It’s huge, but you will know more just browsing around the book.
2. Biochemistry by Garrett & Grisham – I’ve heard it’s a fantastic book.

That’s all for Biology from my desk here.