Nothing in evolution makes sense except in the light of parasitism: evolution of complex replication strategies
Parasitism emerges readily in models and laboratory experiments of RNA world and would lead to extinction unless prevented by compartmentalization or spatial patterning. Modelling replication as an active computational process opens up many degrees of freedom that are exploited to meet environmental...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Royal Society
2021-08-01
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| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.210441 |
| _version_ | 1818356632925503488 |
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| author | Simon J. Hickinbotham Susan Stepney Paulien Hogeweg |
| author_facet | Simon J. Hickinbotham Susan Stepney Paulien Hogeweg |
| author_sort | Simon J. Hickinbotham |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Parasitism emerges readily in models and laboratory experiments of RNA world and would lead to extinction unless prevented by compartmentalization or spatial patterning. Modelling replication as an active computational process opens up many degrees of freedom that are exploited to meet environmental challenges, and to modify the evolutionary process itself. Here, we use automata chemistry models and spatial RNA-world models to study the emergence of parasitism and the complexity that evolves in response. The system is initialized with a hand-designed replicator that copies other replicators with a small chance of point mutation. Almost immediately, short parasites arise; these are copied more quickly, and so have an evolutionary advantage. The replicators also become shorter, and so are replicated faster; they evolve a mechanism to slow down replication, which reduces the difference of replication rate of replicators and parasites. They also evolve explicit mechanisms to discriminate copies of self from parasites; these mechanisms become increasingly complex. New parasite species continually arise from mutated replicators, rather than from evolving parasite lineages. Evolution itself evolves, e.g. by effectively increasing point mutation rates, and by generating novel emergent mutational operators. Thus, parasitism drives the evolution of complex replicators and complex ecosystems. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T20:00:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4f314d5a5cdd430489770dfbb38bad24 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T20:00:18Z |
| publishDate | 2021-08-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-4f314d5a5cdd430489770dfbb38bad242022-12-21T23:33:11ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032021-08-018810.1098/rsos.210441Nothing in evolution makes sense except in the light of parasitism: evolution of complex replication strategiesSimon J. Hickinbotham0Susan Stepney1Paulien Hogeweg2Department of Electronic Engineering, University of York, York, UKDepartment of Computer Science, University of York, York, UKTheoretical Biology and Bioinformatics Group, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The NetherlandsParasitism emerges readily in models and laboratory experiments of RNA world and would lead to extinction unless prevented by compartmentalization or spatial patterning. Modelling replication as an active computational process opens up many degrees of freedom that are exploited to meet environmental challenges, and to modify the evolutionary process itself. Here, we use automata chemistry models and spatial RNA-world models to study the emergence of parasitism and the complexity that evolves in response. The system is initialized with a hand-designed replicator that copies other replicators with a small chance of point mutation. Almost immediately, short parasites arise; these are copied more quickly, and so have an evolutionary advantage. The replicators also become shorter, and so are replicated faster; they evolve a mechanism to slow down replication, which reduces the difference of replication rate of replicators and parasites. They also evolve explicit mechanisms to discriminate copies of self from parasites; these mechanisms become increasingly complex. New parasite species continually arise from mutated replicators, rather than from evolving parasite lineages. Evolution itself evolves, e.g. by effectively increasing point mutation rates, and by generating novel emergent mutational operators. Thus, parasitism drives the evolution of complex replicators and complex ecosystems.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.210441replicatorparasiteRNA worldautomata chemistryartificial life |
| spellingShingle | Simon J. Hickinbotham Susan Stepney Paulien Hogeweg Nothing in evolution makes sense except in the light of parasitism: evolution of complex replication strategies Royal Society Open Science replicator parasite RNA world automata chemistry artificial life |
| title | Nothing in evolution makes sense except in the light of parasitism: evolution of complex replication strategies |
| title_full | Nothing in evolution makes sense except in the light of parasitism: evolution of complex replication strategies |
| title_fullStr | Nothing in evolution makes sense except in the light of parasitism: evolution of complex replication strategies |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nothing in evolution makes sense except in the light of parasitism: evolution of complex replication strategies |
| title_short | Nothing in evolution makes sense except in the light of parasitism: evolution of complex replication strategies |
| title_sort | nothing in evolution makes sense except in the light of parasitism evolution of complex replication strategies |
| topic | replicator parasite RNA world automata chemistry artificial life |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.210441 |
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