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Updated: Apr 19, 2026

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling
Published on: July 4, 2007
Not just a theory--the utility of mathematical models in evolutionary biology
Maria R Servedio1, Yaniv Brandvain2, Sumit Dhole1
1Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.
Abstract:
Progress in science often begins with verbal hypotheses meant to explain why certain biological phenomena exist. An important purpose of mathematical models in evolutionary research, as in many other fields, is to act as “proof-of-concept” tests of the logic in verbal explanations, paralleling the way in which empirical data are used to test hypotheses. Because not all subfields of biology use mathematics for this purpose, misunderstandings of the function of proof-of-concept modeling are common. In the hope of facilitating communication, we discuss the role of proof-of-concept modeling in evolutionary biology.
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