GATE Ecology and Evolution Syllabus 2022: IIT Kharagpur is the conducting authority for GATE Exam 2022. To plan and prepare properly for the exam, you must have latest GATE Syllabus 2022 and exam pattern.
The GATE Ecology and Evolution syllabus syllabus is divided into 4 broad sections. Out of a total of 65 questions, 55 questions will be based on the Ecology and Evolution subject and the remaining 10 questions will be from the General Aptitude section.
To know more about the GATE Ecology and Evolution Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2022, read the whole blog.
GATE Ecology and Evolution Syllabus 2022
All the questions in GATE Ecology and Evolution Syllabus 2022 are of the graduation level with 85% of the syllabus is from the core subjects. The rest of the 15% is from the General Aptitude section. The candidates who opt for Ecology and Evolution (EY) as their first paper in GATE 2022 can apply for Life Sciences (XL) as their second paper.
Here check the detailed GATE Ecology and Evolution Syllabus 2022.
Section 1: Ecology
- Fundamental concepts: Abiotic and biotic components; scales (population, species, community, ecosystems, biomes); niches and habitats
- Population ecology: Population growth rates (density dependent/independent); metapopulation ecology (colonization, persistence, extinction, patches, sources, sinks); age- structured populations
- Interactions: Types (mutualism, symbiosis, commensalism, competition, parasitism, predation, etc); ecophysiology (physiological adaptations to abiotic environment); prey- predator interactions (Lotka-Voltera equation etc)
- Community ecology: Community assembly, organization and succession; species richness, evenness and diversity indices, species-area relationships; theory of island biogeography
- Ecosystems structure and function: trophic levels and their interactions; nutrient cycles; primary and secondary productivity.
Section 2: Evolution
- History of Evolutionary thought: Lamarckism; Darwinism; Modern Synthesis
- Fundamentals: Variation; heritability; natural selection; fitness and adaptation; types of selection (stabilizing, directional, disruptive)
- Diversity of life: Origin and history of life on earth; diversity and classification of life; systems of classification (cladistics and phenetics)
- Life history strategies: Allocation of resources; trade offs; r/K selection; semelparity and iteroparity
- Interactions: Coevolution (co-adaptations, arms race, Red Queen hypothesis, co- speciation); prey-predator interactions (mimicry, crypsis, etc)
- Population and Quantitative genetics: Origins of genetic variation; Mendelian genetics; Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium; drift; selection (one-locus two-alleles model); population genetic structure (panmixia, gene flow, FST); polygenic traits; gene-environment interactions (phenotypic plasticity); heritability
- Molecular evolution and phylogenetics: Neutral theory; molecular clocks; rates of evolution; phylogenetic reconstruction; molecular systematics
- Macroevolution: Species concepts and speciation; adaptive radiation; convergence; biogeography
Section 3: Mathematics and Quantitative Ecology
- Mathematics and statistics in ecology: Simple functions (linear, quadratic, exponential, logarithmic, etc); concept of derivatives and slope of a function; permutations and combinations; basic probability (probability of random events; sequences of events, etc); frequency distributions and their descriptive statistics (mean, variance, coefficient of variation, correlation, etc).
- Statistical hypothesis testing: Concept of p-value; Type I and Type II error, test statistics like t-test and Chi-square test; basics of linear regression and ANOVA.
Section 4: Behavioural Ecology
- Classical Ethology: Instinct; fixed action pattern; imprinting; learnt behavior; proximate and ultimate questions
- Sensory ecology: Neuroethology; communication (chemical, acoustic and visual signaling); recognition systems
- Foraging ecology: Foraging behaviour; optimal foraging theory
- Reproduction: Cost of sex; sexual dimorphism; mate choice; sexual selection (runaway selection, good-genes, handicap principle, etc); sexual conflict; mating systems; parental care
- Social living: Costs and benefits of group-living (including responses to predators); effect of competition (scramble and contest) on group formation; dominance relationships; eusociality; kin selection; altruism; reciprocity; human behaviour.
Section 5: Applied Ecology & Evolution
- Biodiversity and conservation: Importance of conserving biodiversity; ecosystem services; threats to biodiversity; invasive species; in-situ conservation (endemism, biodiversity hotspots, protected areas); ex-situ conservation; conservation genetics (genetic diversity, inbreeding depression); DNA fingerprinting and DNA barcoding
- Disease ecology and evolution: Epidemiology; zoonotic diseases; antibiotic resistance; vector control
- Plant and animal breeding: Marker assisted breeding; genetic basis of economically important traits
- Global climate change: Causes; consequences; mitigation
Download GATE Ecology and Evolution Syllabus 2022 PDF
GATE Ecology and Evolution Syllabus 2022 On General Aptitude
| Subject | GATE Ecology and Evolution Syllabus 2022 |
| Verbal Aptitude | English grammar – articles, verb-noun agreement, tenses, adjectives, conjunctions, prepositions, other parts of speech etc.; vocabulary – words, phrases, idioms; comprehension & reading; narrative sequencing. |
| Analytical Aptitude | Logic – Induction & Deduction; analogy; number relations & reasoning. |
| Spatial Aptitude | Shape transformation – mirroring, rotation, translation, grouping, assembling, and scaling; Paper cutting, folding & 2-D and 3-D patterns. |
| Numerical Aptitude | Elementary Statistics & probability; geometry; data and graphs (bar graph, histogram, pie chart, and other data graphs), 2- and 3- dimensional plots, maps, and tables; mensuration; numerical computation & estimation – powers, exponents, percentages, permutations & combinations, ratios, logarithms, etc. |
GATE Ecology and Evolution Exam Pattern 2022
Here you can check GATE Ecology and Evolution Exam Pattern 2022.
| Examination Mode | Computer Based Test (CBT) |
| Duration | 3 Hours (180 Minutes) |
| Sectional Time Limit | None |
| Total Marks | 100 |
| Total Number of questions | 65 |
| Number of Subjects (Papers) | 27 |
| Number of Sections* | 2-3 (General Aptitude and Core Discipline or General Aptitude, Engineering Mathematics* and Core Discipline) |
| Type of Questions | Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ); Multiple Select Questions (MSQ); Numerical Answer Type (NAT) Questions |
| Total Number of Questions | 65 Questions |
| Total Marks | 100 Marks |
| Marking Scheme | 1 or 2 marks for each correct answer |
| Negative Marking | For 1 mark MCQ, 1/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer; For 2-mark MCQ, 2/3 mark will be deducted for a wrong answer; No negative marking for MSQs and NATs |
GATE Ecology and Evolution Marking Scheme 2022
| Type of question | Negative marking for wrong answer | Marking for correct answer |
|---|---|---|
| MCQs |
|
1 or 2 marks |
| NATs | No negative marking | 1 or 2 marks |
Topic-wise Weightage For GATE Ecology and Evolution Syllabus 2022
Here you can check Topic-wise Weightage For GATE Ecology and Evolution Syllabus 2022.
| Parts | No. of Questions | Score per Question |
|---|---|---|
| General Aptitude | 5 | 1 |
| 5 | 2 | |
| Core Subject | 25 | 1 |
| 30 | 2 | |
| TOTAL | 65 | – |
Other Important Information for GATE Ecology and Evolution 2022 Exam
Click on the link to access other information & study materials related to the GATE Ecology and Evolution 2022 exam.
Reference Books Based On Latest GATE Ecology and Evolution Syllabus 2022
You must select the correct books to study for GATE 2022 preparation. You can check the list of referred books for Ecology and Evolution. By referring to these books, you can boost your preparation process.
| Name of Books | Author/Publication |
| GATE General Aptitude & Engineering Mathematics | Pearson Publications |
| GATE Guide General Aptitude | G K Publications |
| Microbiology | Michael J. Pelczar, E.C.S Chan & Noel R. Krieg |
| Strickberger’s Evolution | Brian K. Hall & Benedikt Hallgrimsson |
| Fundamentals of Ecology | Eugene Odum |
| Ecology: Theories & Applications | Peter Stiling |
| Elements of Ecology | Smith & Smith |
| Principles of genetics | Gardner, Simmons, & Snustad |
| Organic Evolution | Veer Bala Rastogi |
| Global Philosophical and Ecological Concepts | Rudi Jansma |
| Cell Biology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Evolution & Ecology | P S Verma & V K Agarwal |
FAQs on GATE Ecology and Evolution Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2022
Here you can check FAQs on GATE Ecology and Evolution Syllabus and Exam Pattern 2022.
What will be major sections in the GATE Ecology and Evolution syllabus 2022?
GATE Ecology and Evolution syllabus 2022 will include General Aptitude and core subject. The syllabus will be based on the topics studied at the graduation level. The maximum number of questions will be asked from the core subject and the remaining questions are from general aptitude.
How many topics are there in the GATE Syllabus for Ecology and Evolution 2022?
The core syllabus of GATE Ecology and Evolution 2022 will be divided into 5 parts or sections:
Section 1 – Ecology
Section 2 – Evolution
Section 3 – Mathematics and Quantitative Ecology
Section 4 – Behavioural Ecology
Section 5 – Applied Ecology & Evolution
General Aptitude
Which other subject can be chosen along with Ecology & Evolution in GATE EY 2022?
If you are planning to appear for GATE EY paper as first paper in GATE 2022 , you can only opt for GATE Life Sciences (XL) as second paper.
What is the overall difficulty level and paper analysis of GATE Ecology and Evolution 2022?
The difficulty level of GATE Syllabus for Ecology and Evolution 2022 is moderate.
Which is the subject code for GATE Ecology and Evolution 2022?
The subject code for GATE Ecology and Evolution 2022 is EY.
What is the distribution of questions in the GATE Syllabus for Ecology and Evolution 2022?
GATE Syllabus for Ecology and Evolution 2022 question paper will consist of 65 questions worth 100 marks and candidates need to solve the paper in three hours. The general aptitude section will have questions worth 10 marks and the core subjects will be for around 55 marks.