Entropic Sampling and Natural Selection in Biological Evolution

Abstract

With a view to connecting random mutation on the molecular level to punctuated equilibrium behavior on the phenotype level, we propose a new model for biological evolution, which incorporates random mutation and natural selection. In this scheme the system evolves continuously into new configurations, yielding non-stationary behavior of the total fitness. Further, both the waiting time distribution of species and the avalanche size distribution display power-law behaviors with exponents close to two, which are consistent with the fossil data. These features are rather robust, indicating the key role of entropy.