Open AccessEvolutionary dynamics, evolutionary forces, and robustness: A nonequilibrium statistical mechanics perspective
Author(s) -
Riccardo Rao,
Stanislas Leibler
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2112083119
Subject(s) - evolutionary dynamics , natural selection , organism , robustness (evolution) , population genetics , population , selection (genetic algorithm) , evolutionary biology , stochastic dynamics , human evolutionary genetics , statistical physics , biology , computer science , physics , artificial intelligence , genetics , genome , gene , demography , sociology
Significance Evolution through natural selection is an overwhelmingly complex process, and it is not surprising that theoretical approaches are strongly simplifying it. For instance, population genetics considers mainly dynamics of gene allele frequencies. Here, we develop a complementary approach to evolutionary dynamics based on three elements—organism reproduction, variations, and selection—that are essential for any evolutionary theory. By considering such general dynamics as a stochastic thermodynamic process, we clarify the nature and action of the evolutionary forces. We show that some of the forces cannot be described solely in terms of fitness landscapes. We also find that one force contribution can make organism reproduction insensitive (robust) to variations.