Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 6, 2025

Daily Transfers, Archiving Populations, and Measuring Fitness in the Long-Term Evolution Experiment with Escherichia coli
Published on: August 18, 2023
How the History of Changing Environments Affects Traits of Evolvable Robot Populations
1Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Computer Science Department. k.dasilvamirasdearaujo@vu.nl.
Abstract:
The environment is one of the key factors in the emergence of intelligent creatures, but it has received little attention within the Evolutionary Robotics literature. This article investigates the effects of changing environments on morphological and behavioral traits of evolvable robots. In particular, we extend a previous study by evolving robot populations under diverse changing-environment setups, varying the magnitude, frequency, duration, and dynamics of the changes. The results show that long-lasting effects of early generations occur not only when transitioning from easy to hard conditions, but also when going from hard to easy conditions. Furthermore, we demonstrate how the impact of environmental scaffolding is dependent on the nature of the environmental changes involved.
Related Concept Videos
Genetic Drift
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift
Natural Selection and Adaptation
Beyond physical adaptations,...
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
What is Natural Selection?
Environmental Influences on Intelligence

