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Adaptation and the cost of complexity
1Department of Biology, University of Rochester, New York 14627, USA. aorr@uhura.cc.rochester.edu
Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|August 11, 2000
Summary
Organismal complexity slows adaptation rates, revealing a significant cost of complexity in evolution. Complex organisms adapt slower than simple ones, impacting evolutionary speed.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary biology
- Population genetics
Background:
- Adaptation drives populations towards optimal fitness levels.
- Fisher's model provides a framework for understanding adaptation dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To calculate the rate of fitness increase during adaptation.
- To describe the fitness-time curve in Fisher's model.
- To identify factors influencing adaptation speed.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of Fisher's model of adaptation.
- Calculation of fitness increase rates over time.
- Mathematical modeling of adaptation dynamics.
Main Results:
- Organismal complexity significantly slows adaptation.
- Complex organisms adapt more slowly than simple ones for equivalent mutations.
- The rate of adaptation declines at least as fast as n-1, where n is organismal complexity.
Conclusions:
- A substantial cost of complexity exists in evolution, larger than previously estimated.
- Organismal complexity is a key determinant of adaptation speed.
- An effective number of dimensions can characterize adapting species.