The Advantage of Arriving First: Characteristic Times in Finite Size Populations of Error-Prone Replicators

Abstract

We study the evolution of a finite size population formed by mutationally isolated lineages of error-prone replicators in a two-peak fitness landscape. Computer simulations are performed to gain a stochastic description of the system dynamics. More specifically, for different population sizes, we compute the probability of each lineage being selected in terms of their mutation rates and the amplification factors of the fittest phenotypes. We interpret the results as the compromise between the characteristic time a lineage takes to reach its fittest phenotype by crossing the neutral valley and the selective value of the sequences that form the lineages. A main conclusion is drawn: for finite population sizes, the survival probability of the lineage that arrives first to the fittest phenotype rises significantly.

The essence of life revisited: how theories can shed light on it

“…We are not aware of many other stochastic simulations of very small models of life, but there are one or two that can be mentioned. Marin et al (2013), extended the work illustrated in Fig. 13, and considered the relationship between population size and the survival time of a population before collapse.…”