UPES M.Tech Admissions 2026
Ranked #45 Among Universities in India by NIRF | 1950+ Students Placed 91% Placement, 800+ Recruiters
GATE Exam Date:07 Feb' 26 - 08 Feb' 26
GATE 2026 Ecology and Evolution syllabus - IIT Guwahati has published the GATE Ecology and Evolution syllabus 2026 on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. Candidates can check the GATE Ecology and Evolution syllabus on this page. Aspirants aiming for admission through the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering must refer to the EY syllabus 2026 to prepare for their exam. Understanding the GATE 2026 Ecology and Evolution syllabus will help candidates prepare for the exam systematically. The authority will conduct the GATE 2026 exam on February 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2026.
This Story also Contains
Along with the GATE 2026 ecology and evolution syllabus, candidates can also check the GATE exam pattern released by the authorities. The authorities will prepare the GATE question papers as per the GATE syllabus 2026 for ecology and evolution. Check out the complete article for more details about the GATE ecology and evolution syllabus 2026.
The GATE syllabus for ecology and evolution is 85% based on the undergraduate engineering course and the rest 15% is from general aptitude. The GATE EY syllabus 2026 is divided into five main sections as follows
Ecology
Evolution
Mathematics and Quantitative Ecology
Behavioral Ecology
Applied Ecology and Evolution
Candidates can refer to the GATE ecology and evolution syllabus and exam pattern within the article to start their preparation. The GATE 2026 syllabus for ecology and evolution will be updated below. Candidates can check the detailed GATE ecology and evolution (EY) syllabus based on the the previous years notification below:
The general aptitude consists of 15% weightage in GATE EY. Below is the syllabus for GATE General Aptitude.
| Chapters | Topics |
|---|---|
| GATE GA syllabus for Verbal Aptitude |
|
| GATE GA syllabus for Quantitative Aptitude |
|
| GATE GA syllabus for Analytical Aptitude |
|
| GATE GA syllabus for Spatial Aptitude |
|
The Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati has released the GATE 2026 syllabus for Ecology and Evolution on the official website, gate2026.iitg.ac.in. The GATE EY syllabus 2026 includes topics like the origin and history of life on Earth, diversity, classification of life, and the history of evolution in its Evolution section. Each section in the GATE exam syllabus for ecology and evolution provides detailed information to candidates about what they need to learn and focus on. Candidates can check the GATE 2026 syllabus for Ecology and Evolution in the table below.
| Chapter | Topics |
|---|---|
| Fundamental Concepts | Abiotic and biotic components; scales (population, species, community, ecosystems, biomes); niches and habitats. |
| Population Ecology | Population growth rates (density dependent/independent); meta population 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 |
| Chapter | Topics |
|---|---|
| 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; tradeoffs; r/K selection; semelparity and iteroparity |
| Interactions | Co-evolution (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; HardyWeinberg 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 |
| Chapter | Topics |
|---|---|
| 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. |
| Chapter | Topics |
|---|---|
| Classical Ethology | Instinct; fixed action patterns; 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 |
| Chapters | Topics |
|---|---|
| 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 |
To excel in the GATE Ecology and Evolution exam, candidates should prioritise certain topics. Some important topics in the syllabus include:
To achieve their desired score in the GATE 2026 Ecology and Evolution exam, candidates must thoroughly understand and prepare the syllabus. The syllabus covers a wide range of topics in ecology and evolution, mathematics and statistics, behavioural ecology, and applied aspects of the field. By strategically planning their preparation and utilising the recommended books, candidates can increase their chances of success. Therefore, aspirants are advised to refer to GATE books for Ecology and Evolution. While referring to the recommended books, candidates should also consult their graduation-level course books. Some trusted books for GATE 2026 ecology and evolution exam preparation include
Book | Author |
|---|---|
Fundamentals and Techniques of Biophysics and Molecular Biology | Pranav Kumar |
Cell Biology, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Evolution & Ecology | Verma P.S. & Agarwal V.K |
Test & Evaluation: Life Sciences / Biotechnology | Kumar Pranav & Mina Usha |
Principles and Techniques of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | Keith Wilson & John Walker |
microbiology | Michael Pelczar |
Along with the GATE syllabus for Ecology and Evolution pdf, candidates must also be familiar with the GATE Exam pattern 2026. Understanding exam patterns makes candidates familiar with the mode of examination and the kind of questions asked.
Particulars | Specifications |
|---|---|
Exam duration | 3 hours |
Exam mode | Online (Computer-based test) in multiple shifts |
Type and total number of Questions | Total 65 Questions MCQs and MCQs and/or Numerical Answer Type (NAT) questions |
Total marks of the exam | 100 |
Total number of sections |
|
Marking Scheme |
|
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The GATE 2026 exam will be conducted on February 7, 8, 14 and 15, 2026.
A candidate who is currently studying in the 3rd or higher years of any undergraduate degree program OR has already completed any Government-approved degree program in Engineering / Technology / Architecture / Science / Commerce / Arts is eligible to appear for the GATE 2026 examination
There is no age limit for the GATE exam 2026.
Yes, questions related to current environmental issues and conservation efforts are often included in the GATE EY exam to assess the candidates' awareness of real-world challenges.
No, candidates are not allowed to carry any electronic devices, including calculators, to the GATE examination hall.
Ecology and evolution offer great research prospects, opening up various career opportunities after GATE. Fields such as ecology, environmental consulting, natural resource management, and genetics become accessible. Notable institutions in India for Ecology and Evolution include the Indian Institute of Ecology and Environment in New Delhi.
On Question asked by student community
Hello
Just visit the link I am attaching below, so that it will help you to download and practice the papers, so that you can practice well and score well.
Hope it will help you!!!
Hello dear candidate,
You will not receive another rectification mail unless and until there is still an error in your reuploaded signature. if everything is okay your status will change to accepted on the GATE portal.
My advice is that you should keep checking your application status on the official website of GATE 2026.
Thank you.
Hello,
Visit the below website to download the previous 15 years question paper of GATE exam.
https://engineering.careers360.com/articles/last-15-years-gate-papers-solutions
You'll also get the solutions from it. These question papers will help you a lot in your preparation.
All the best.
This is likely a temporary portal or validation issue, not something you did wrong. When candidates try to change category from GEN to OBC-NCL during the GATE correction window, the system checks required fields and sometimes a supporting certificate or fee is needed. If any required data or document is missing, or the server is busy, the portal can show Something went wrong, please try again. Explain to them that first they should log into the GATE portal, open the Correction tab and confirm which fields are editable and whether a payment or document upload is required for category change. Tell them to clear browser cache or try a different browser/device and retry. If the error persists, advise contacting GATE support or the zonal office with a screenshot and timing of the error so officials can check server logs.
Hello,
The GATE 2026 Agricultural Engineering (AG) paper will have a total of 100 marks. Out of this, 15 marks are for General Aptitude and 85 marks are for core Agricultural Engineering subjects.
The marks are generally distributed among major topics like Engineering Mathematics (12–13 marks), Farm Machinery (10–11), Farm Power (14–15), Soil & Water Conservation (12–13), Irrigation & Drainage (10–12), Agricultural Process Engineering (10–12), and Dairy & Food Engineering (9–10 marks).
The official qualifying marks for GATE 2026 are not yet released. However, based on previous years, the cutoff for the Agricultural Engineering paper is expected to be around 25 marks for General, 22.5 for OBC/EWS, and 16.6 for SC/ST/PwD candidates.
Hope it helps !
Ranked #45 Among Universities in India by NIRF | 1950+ Students Placed 91% Placement, 800+ Recruiters
Apply for Online MBA from Jaypee Institute of Information Technology
Apply for Online MBA from UPES
Online PG programs from Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning
Want to study abroad? Plan your Journey
Want to study abroad? Plan your Journey