2007/03/31 by Ioana Bena, Michel Droz, Janusz Szwabiński +3 · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Amplitude #Biology #Computer science #Demography #Ecosystem dynamics and resilience #Evolution and Genetic Dynamics #Genetics #Mutation #Phase transition #Physics #Population #Quantum mechanics #Selection (genetic algorithm) #Statistical physics #Thermodynamics #cond-mat.other #cond-mat.stat-mech #physics.bio-ph #q-bio.PE #stochastic dynamics and bifurcation
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreve.76.011908
published as Physical Review E 76, 011908 (2007). · 15 pages, 12 figures. Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. E
arxiv created 2007/06/07 · openalex publication_date 2007/07/16 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The role of the selection pressure and mutation amplitude on the behavior of a single-species population evolving on a two-dimensional lattice, in a periodically changing environment, is studied both analytically and numerically. The mean-field level of description allows one to highlight the delicate interplay between the different time-scale processes in the resulting complex dynamics of the system. We clarify the influence of the amplitude and period of the environmental changes on the critical value of the selection pressure corresponding to a phase-transition "extinct-alive" of the population. However, the intrinsic stochasticity and the dynamically-built in correlations among the individuals, as well as the role of the mutation-induced variety in population's evolution are not appropriately accounted for. A more refined level of description, which is an individual-based one, has to be considered. The inherent fluctuations do not destroy the phase transition "extinct-alive," and the mutation amplitude is strongly influencing the value of the critical selection pressure. The phase diagram in the plane of the population's parameters-selection and mutation are discussed as a function of the environmental variation characteristics. The differences between a smooth variation of the environment and an abrupt, catastrophic change are also addressed.