GATE — Ecology and Evolution (EY)

India · IITs and IISc on rotation · pg · unverified source

164practice questions written to this syllabus
8subjects

Format

Computer-based, 3 hours, 100 marks (15 General Aptitude + 85 subject), standard GATE pattern.

Sections

Over the years

Used for MSc/PhD admission in ecology at IISc, IISER and similar institutes. Section list is from general knowledge, not the 2026 PDF. Relevant mainly to the biodiversity and ecology subjects of this track.

Official source: https://gate2026.iitg.ac.in/

Subjects this exam draws on

Ecology & Ecosystem Science26 questionsMathematics & Statistics for Environmental Science16 questionsBiodiversity Science & Conservation36 questionsAgrobiodiversity & Genetic Resources19 questionsEcosystem Services & Pollinators in Agricultural Landscapes7 questionsLandscape Ecology, Protected Areas & Human-Wildlife Interactions40 questionsAgroecology: Principles & Practice7 questionsResearch Methods in Environmental & Sustainability Science13 questions

Five practice questions, worked

Original questions written to this exam's published syllabus and pattern. Not past papers.

1. How does the realised niche differ from the fundamental niche?

  1. The realised niche refers only to plants and the fundamental niche only to animals
  2. The narrower range occupied when competitors and enemies are present
  3. The realised niche is wider because species expand when competitors are present
  4. They are identical terms used by different authors
Answer and working

B. The narrower range occupied when competitors and enemies are present

The fundamental niche is the potential range without interactions; competition and predation restrict species to a smaller realised niche.

Ecology & Ecosystem Science · Habitat, niche and the competitive exclusion principle

2. A two-stage Leslie matrix is [[0, 4], [0.5, 0]]. What is its dominant eigenvalue, the asymptotic growth rate per time step?

  1. 0.50
  2. 1.41
  3. 4.50
  4. 2.00
Answer and working

B. 1.41

λ² = 4 × 0.5 = 2, so λ = √2 ≈ 1.41, a 41% increase per step. 2.00 forgets the square root; 4.50 adds; 0.50 is survival only.

Mathematics & Statistics for Environmental Science · Linear algebra: matrices, linear systems, eigenvalues

3. Why may functional diversity matter more for ecosystem functioning than species richness alone?

  1. Ecosystem processes depend on the range of traits and roles species play
  2. Functional diversity counts only the rarest species found in each community
  3. Species richness cannot be measured in any real ecosystem
  4. Functional diversity is always identical to species richness
Answer and working

A. Ecosystem processes depend on the range of traits and roles species play

Two communities with equal richness can differ in the variety of traits (rooting depth, nitrogen fixation, pollination) that drive productivity, nutrient cycling and resilience. Functional diversity is not about rarity, richness can be measured, and the two are not identical.

Biodiversity Science & Conservation · Levels of biodiversity: genetic, species, ecosystem

4. In agroecology, what is 'associated biodiversity'?

  1. The crops and livestock deliberately chosen and managed by the farmer
  2. Organisms that colonise a farm because of the farmer's choices
  3. Biodiversity in gene banks associated with a farm
  4. Species listed in the farmer's land title documents
Answer and working

B. Organisms that colonise a farm because of the farmer's choices

Planned biodiversity is what the farmer chooses to grow or raise; associated biodiversity — soil biota, pollinators, natural enemies, weeds — arrives in response. The other options misuse the term.

Agrobiodiversity & Genetic Resources · Components of agrobiodiversity

5. Why does CICES omit 'supporting services' as a separate category?

  1. Because supporting services do not exist in any real ecosystem anywhere
  2. To avoid double counting processes already reflected in final services
  3. Because supporting services can be valued only by markets
  4. Because CICES covers only cultural services of urban parks
Answer and working

B. To avoid double counting processes already reflected in final services

Supporting processes such as nutrient cycling underpin final services like crop production; counting both would double count. CICES classifies final services into provisioning, regulation and maintenance, and cultural.

Ecosystem Services & Pollinators in Agricultural Landscapes · Ecosystem service frameworks: MA, TEEB, CICES, IPBES nature's contributions to people

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