Evolutionarily stable disequilibrium: endless dynamics of evolution in a stationary population.

ABSTRACT: Evolution is often conceived as changes in the properties of a population over generations. Does this notion exhaust the possible dynamics of evolution? Life is hierarchically organized, and evolution can operate at multiple levels with conflicting tendencies. Using a minimal model of such conflicting multilevel evolution, we demonstrate the possibility of a novel mode of evolution that challenges the above notion: individuals ceaselessly modify their genetically inherited phenotype and fitness along their lines of descent, without involving apparent changes in the properties of the population. The model assumes a population of primitive cells (protocells, for short), each containing a population of replicating catalytic molecules. Protocells are selected towards maximizing the catalytic a

SUBMITTER: Takeuchi N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4874703 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature