Simple models of evolution and extinction
M. E. J. Newman
Abstract
This article gives a brief introduction to the mathematical modeling of large-scale biological evolution and extinction. We give three examples of simple models in this field: the coevolutionary avalanche model of Bak and Sneppen, the environmental stress model of Newman, and the increasing fitness model of Sibani, Schmidt, and Alstrom. We describe the features of real evolution which these models are intended to explain and compare the results of simulations against data drawn from the fossil record.
Create a lesson
Related papers
Amplifying Phenomenal Information: Toward a Fundamental Theory of Consciousness
L. Gabora
Cumulant Dynamics of a Population under Multiplicative Selection, Mutation and Drift
Magnus Rattray, Jonathan L. Shapiro
A microsimulation of traders activity in the stock market: the role of heterogeneity, agents' interactions and trade frictions
Giulia Iori
Number-conserving cellular automaton rules
Nino Boccara, Henryk Fuks
The Importance of Being Discrete - Life Always Wins on the Surface
Nadav M. Shnerb, Yoram Louzoun, Eldad Bettelheim et al.
Fitness versus Longevity in Age-Structured Population Dynamics
W. Hwang, P. L. Krapivsky, S. Redner