Candidates appearing for the GATE Ecology and Evolution paper can check out the syllabus here. After giving the information for GATE 2020 syllabus for different papers, now we are here to detail you the GATE Ecology and Evolution Syllabus. Knowing the syllabus and exam pattern is first step towards any entrance exam. There are good number of candidates applying for EY paper every year. However, competition will be quite less compared to other papers. So, getting good rank will be easy for those writing this paper. Check out more about the EY paper here.
GATE Syllabus for Ecology and Evolution
The syllabus for EY comprises of topics and sub-topics four different sections. The names of those sections include, Ecology, Evolution, Mathematics and Quantitative Ecology and Behavioural Ecology.
GATE question paper is divided into three different sections and the marks are distributed for each section separately. Here, 70% of marks will be distributed for the core subjects and the remaining for GA and Engineering Mathematics. As General Aptitude (GA) is common for all papers, we have given it separately in the other article of ePostbag. So, check out the syllabus of EY and GA and get start your preparation.
GATE EY Exam Pattern 2020
As other GATE 2020 papers, the pattern of the exam will be same for this paper also. i.e., 65 questions in total for 100 marks. Negative marking for MCQs and no negative mark for NATs. You can check the detailed exam pattern in other articles of this site if required.
It is advisable to refer the prescribed GATE 2020 Books to prepare for the exam as it will help you get good knowledge on the GATE topics of EY and helps score good marks.
| SI. No. | Subject | Topics |
| 1. | Ecology | Population ecology; metapopulation dynamics; growth rates; density independent growth; density dependent growth; niche concept;
Species interactions: Plant-animal interactions; mutualism, commensalism, competition and predation; trophic interactions; functional ecology; ecophysiology; behavioural ecology; Community ecology: Community assembly, organization and evolution; biodiversity: species richness, evenness and diversity indices; endemism; species-area relationships; Ecosystem structure, function and services; nutrient cycles; biomes; habitat ecology; primary and secondary productivity; invasive species; global and climate change; applied ecology. |
| 2. | Evolution | Origin, evolution and diversification of life; natural selection; levels of selection.
Types of selection (stabilizing, directional etc.); sexual selection; genetic drift; gene flow; adaptation; convergence; species concepts; Life history strategies; adaptive radiation; biogeography and evolutionary ecology; Origin of genetic variation; Mendelian genetics; polygenic traits, linkage and recombination; epistasis, gene-environment interaction; heritability; population genetics; Molecular evolution; molecular clocks; systems of classification: cladistics and phenetics; molecular systematics; gene expression and evolution. |
| 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. |
| 4. | Behavioural Ecology | Classical ethology; neuroethology; evolutionary ethology; chemical, acoustic and visual signaling
Mating systems; sexual dimorphism; mate choice; parenting behaviour Competition; aggression; foraging behaviour; predator–prey interactions; Sociobiology: kin selection, altruism, costs and benefits of group-living. |
| 5. | General Aptitude | Syllabus Link |
This is all about GATE Syllabus for Ecology and Evolution 2020. For more GATE 2020 syllabus for other papers, check out portal regularly.