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Updated: May 13, 2026

A Practical Guide to Phage- and Robotics-Assisted Near-Continuous Evolution

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Published on: January 12, 2024

Biological evolution of replicator systems: towards a quantitative approach.

Osmel Martin¹, J E Horvath

¹Departamento de Física, Universidad Central de Las Villas, Santa Clara, Cuba. osmel@uclv.edu.cu

Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere : the Journal of the International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life

|March 16, 2013

Summary

Environmental fluctuations drive evolution by favoring fast replicators and causing population crashes. This suggests a link between mass extinctions and evolutionary recovery patterns, supporting maximum principles in natural selection.

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Area of Science:

Chemical kinetics
Theoretical biology
Systems chemistry

Background:

Replicator models are crucial for understanding chemical evolution.
Kinetic stability and entropy production are key factors in evolutionary processes.
External perturbations can significantly influence the dynamics of chemical systems.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between kinetic stability and entropy production in a simple chemical replicator model.
To explore evolutionary pathways under external perturbations using a revised model.
To propose new criteria for defining kinetic stability in evolving systems.

Main Methods:

Quantitative analysis of a toy model with two competing replicators.
Revision of a previously established chemical evolution scenario.
Analysis of the impact of stochastic environmental fluctuations and large-scale perturbations.

Main Results:

Fast replicator populations are favored by strong environmental fluctuations.
Population crashes serve as indicators of catastrophic environmental events.
Perturbations drive evolutionary processes, with larger perturbations enhancing observed behaviors.

Conclusions:

Evolution is significantly driven by strong environmental perturbations, not solely by inherent replicator speed.
The study provides a dynamical footprint for understanding species recovery post-mass extinction.
Findings support the hypothesis that natural selection favors faster processes, aligning with maximum principles like MEPP.