Punctuated equilibria and 1/f noise in a biological coevolution model with individual-based dynamics

dc.creatorRikvold, Per Arne
dc.creatorZia, R. K. P.
dc.date2003-06-15
dc.date2003-10-18
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T05:34:47Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T05:34:47Z
dc.descriptionWe present a study by linear stability analysis and large-scale Monte Carlo simulations of a simple model of biological coevolution. Selection is provided through a reproduction probability that contains quenched, random interspecies interactions, while genetic variation is provided through a low mutation rate. Both selection and mutation act on individual organisms. Consistent with some current theories of macroevolutionary dynamics, the model displays intermittent, statistically self-similar behavior with punctuated equilibria. The probability density for the lifetimes of ecological communities is well approximated by a power law with exponent near -2, and the corresponding power spectral densities show 1/f noise (flicker noise) over several decades. The long-lived communities (quasi-steady states) consist of a relatively small number of mutualistically interacting species, and they are surrounded by a ``protection zone'' of closely related genotypes that have a very low probability of invading the resident community. The extent of the protection zone affects the stability of the community in a way analogous to the height of the free-energy barrier surrounding a metastable state in a physical system. Measures of biological diversity are on average stationary with no discernible trends, even over our very long simulation runs of approximately 3.4x10^7 generations.
dc.description20 pages RevTex. Minor revisions consistent with published version
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/nlin/0306023
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/nlin/0306023
dc.identifierPhys. Rev. E 68, 031913 (2003) [16 pages]
dc.identifierdoi:10.1103/PhysRevE.68.031913
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/80501
dc.subjectAdaptation and Self-Organizing Systems
dc.subjectStatistical Mechanics
dc.subjectBiological Physics
dc.subjectPopulations and Evolution
dc.titlePunctuated equilibria and 1/f noise in a biological coevolution model with individual-based dynamics
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