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The Interplay of Replication, Variation and Selection in the Dynamics of Evolving Populations

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Principles of Evolution

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Abstract

Evolution is a process by which change occurs through replication. Variation can be introduced into a population during the replication process. Some of the resulting variants may be replicated more rapidly than others, and so the characteristics of the population – and individuals within it – change over time. These processes can be recognised most obviously in genetics and ecology; but they also arise in the context of cultural change. We discuss two key questions that are crucial to the development of evolutionary theory. First, we consider how different application domains may be usefully placed within a single framework; and second, we ask how one can distinguish directed, deterministic change from changes that occur purely because of the stochastic nature of the underlying replication process.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. SUPA, School of Physics, University of Edinburgh, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK

    Richard A. Blythe

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  1. Richard A. Blythe
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Correspondence to Richard A. Blythe .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , School of Engineering & Science, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 8, Bremen, 28759, Germany

    Hildegard Meyer-Ortmanns

  2. , Inst. für Wissenschaft Komplexer Systeme, Medizinische Universität Wien, Währinger Gürtel 18 - 20, Wien, 1090, Austria

    Stefan Thurner

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Blythe, R.A. (2011). The Interplay of Replication, Variation and Selection in the Dynamics of Evolving Populations. In: Meyer-Ortmanns, H., Thurner, S. (eds) Principles of Evolution. The Frontiers Collection. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18137-5_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-18137-5_3

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-18137-5

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