GATE Landscape Ecology & Forest Ecosystem Modelling: practice questions

GATE — Ecology and Evolution (EY) · India · IITs and IISc on rotation (2026: IIT Guwahati)

Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papers

10worked here, free

35written to this exam in this subject

9syllabus units

What this subject covers

Forests at landscape scale: patterns and processes, fragmentation and connectivity, disturbance and succession models, and decision-support for landscape planning. Builds on the Sustainability track's landscape-ecology-protected-areas with forest disturbance and forest landscape models.

In the exams: PG and PhD level; ICAR AICE-JRF 59 Unit 11; GATE EY Section 1 and 5

Landscape structure: patches, corridors, matrix
Landscape metrics and their interpretation
Fragmentation and edge effects
Connectivity and corridor design
Disturbance and succession modelling at landscape scale
Forest landscape models and scenario analysis
Ecosystem process models: carbon, water, nutrient fluxes
Species distribution modelling
Landscape planning and stakeholder decision support

Where the 35 questions fall

How our questions for GATE spread across the units of Landscape Ecology & Forest Ecosystem Modelling. Difficulty: 22 easy, 11 medium, 2 hard.

Landscape structure: patches, corridors, matrix	6
Fragmentation and edge effects	5
Connectivity and corridor design	4
Ecosystem process models: carbon, water, nutrient fluxes	4
Species distribution modelling	4
Landscape planning and stakeholder decision support	4
Landscape metrics and their interpretation	3
Disturbance and succession modelling at landscape scale	3
Forest landscape models and scenario analysis	2

10 practice questions, worked

Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.

1 · Landscape structure: patches, corridors, matrix · medium

Using S = cAᶻ with z = 0.25, a tenfold increase in habitat area multiplies species number by about:

2.50
10.0
1.25
1.78

Answer and working

D. 1.78

10^0.25 ≈ 1.78. 2.50 multiplies z by 10; 1.25 adds z to 1.

Further reading: Turner M; Forman R; Forman R; MacArthur R

2 · Landscape metrics and their interpretation · easy

A landscape is 50% forest and 50% grassland. Its Shannon diversity index is:

0.69
1.00
0.50
1.39

Answer and working

A. 0.69

H′ = −2 × 0.5 ln 0.5 = ln 2 ≈ 0.69. 1.00 would be the value with log base 2.

Further reading: Turner M; Forman R; Forman R; MacArthur R

3 · Fragmentation and edge effects · easy

Higher nest predation of forest birds near edges is an example of:

An abiotic edge effect
Fragmentation per se
Isolation by distance
A biotic edge effect

Answer and working

D. A biotic edge effect

Changes in species interactions near edges are biotic edge effects; microclimate changes are abiotic.

Further reading: Turner M; Forman R; Forman R; MacArthur R

4 · Connectivity and corridor design · easy

Small, unconnected patches close enough for animals to cross between are called:

Edge ecotones
Matrix fragments
Stepping stones
Population sinks

Answer and working

C. Stepping stones

Stepping stones aid movement for species that can cross short gaps through the matrix.

Further reading: Turner M; Forman R; Forman R; MacArthur R

5 · Ecosystem process models: carbon, water, nutrient fluxes · medium

The half-life of litter with k = 0.5 yr⁻¹ is about:

0.5 years
1.4 years
2.0 years
0.7 years

Answer and working

B. 1.4 years

Half-life = ln 2 ÷ k = 0.693 ÷ 0.5 ≈ 1.39 years. 2.0 years is 1 ÷ k, the mean residence time.

Further reading: Turner M; Forman R; Forman R; MacArthur R

6 · Ecosystem process models: carbon, water, nutrient fluxes · easy

A forested catchment receives 1,500 mm of precipitation and loses 900 mm by evapotranspiration, with no change in storage. Runoff is:

2,400 mm
600 mm
900 mm
1,500 mm

Answer and working

B. 600 mm

Q = P − ET − ΔS = 1,500 − 900 − 0 = 600 mm.

Further reading: Turner M; Forman R; Forman R; MacArthur R

7 · Species distribution modelling · easy

Hutchinson's realised niche is:

The full set of conditions a species can tolerate physiologically
The geographic range of a species before human influence
The area of a habitat patch occupied by one individual
Conditions it actually occupies, given competitors and dispersal

Answer and working

D. Conditions it actually occupies, given competitors and dispersal

The fundamental niche is broader; biotic interactions and dispersal limits narrow it to the realised niche.

Further reading: Turner M; Forman R; Forman R; MacArthur R

8 · Landscape planning and stakeholder decision support · easy

In systematic conservation planning, complementarity means that:

Every site holds the same species
Sites are chosen in order of area alone
Each added site contributes features not yet protected
Reserves are placed where land is cheapest

Answer and working

C. Each added site contributes features not yet protected

Complementarity selects sites that add unrepresented features, making networks efficient.

Further reading: Turner M; Forman R; Forman R; MacArthur R

9 · Landscape planning and stakeholder decision support · easy

The Bonn Challenge launched in 2011 set a goal of restoring how much degraded and deforested land by 2020?

350 million ha
150 million ha
15 million ha
1 billion ha

Answer and working

B. 150 million ha

150 million ha by 2020; the New York Declaration on Forests extended it to 350 million ha by 2030.

Further reading: Turner M; Forman R; Forman R; MacArthur R

10 · Landscape planning and stakeholder decision support · medium

In the land sharing versus land sparing debate, land sparing means:

Wildlife-friendly farming practised on all land in the landscape
Leaving all land unused for production
Sharing land titles among communities
High-yield production on part of the land to protect the rest

Answer and working

D. High-yield production on part of the land to protect the rest

Sparing separates intensive production from protected areas; sharing integrates both on the same land.

Further reading: Turner M; Forman R; Forman R; MacArthur R

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