Cascade of complexity in evolving predator-prey dynamics

Phys Rev Lett. 2008 Feb 8;100(5):058102. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.058102. Epub 2008 Feb 5.

Abstract

We simulate an individual-based model that represents both the phenotype and genome of digital organisms with predator-prey interactions. We show how open-ended growth of complexity arises from the invariance of genetic evolution operators with respect to changes in the complexity, and that the dynamics which emerges shows scaling indicative of a nonequilibrium critical point. The mechanism is analogous to the development of the cascade in fluid turbulence.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Animals
  • Biological Evolution*
  • Feeding Behavior / physiology*
  • Food Chain*
  • Genome
  • Models, Statistical
  • Mutation / physiology
  • Point Mutation