Genetic Assimilation and Canalisation in the Baldwin Effect
Genetic Assimilation and Canalisation in the Baldwin Effect
The Baldwin Effect indicates that individually learned behaviours acquired during an organism’s lifetime can influence the evolutionary path taken by a population, without any direct Lamarckian transfer of traits from phenotype to genotype. Several computational studies modelling this effect have included complications that restrict its applicability. Here we present a simplified model that is used to reveal the essential mechanisms and highlight several conceptual issues that have not been clearly defined in prior literature. In particular, we suggest that canalisation and genetic assimilation, often conflated in previous studies, are separate concepts and the former is actually not required for non-heritable phenotypic variation to guide genetic variation. Additionally, learning, often considered to be essential for the Baldwin Effect, can be replaced with a more general phenotypic plasticity model. These simplifications potentially permit the Baldwin Effect to operate in much more general circumstances.
Baldwin Effect, genetic assimilation, canalisation
3-540-28848-1
353-362
Mills, Rob
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Watson, Richard A.
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Capcarrere, Mathieu S.
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Freitas, Alex A.
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Bentley, Peter J.
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Johnson, Colin G.
e0a59675-dc24-48fa-8dd8-e51d9d754912
Timmis, Jon
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2005
Mills, Rob
3d53d4bc-e1de-4807-b89b-f5813f2172a7
Watson, Richard A.
ce199dfc-d5d4-4edf-bd7b-f9e224c96c75
Capcarrere, Mathieu S.
99d4c634-dd2d-406a-8a3c-17a7f139f909
Freitas, Alex A.
5f9d014f-9f6f-4017-bc6b-558aec079079
Bentley, Peter J.
73e2046a-2b2a-4666-a059-4964f0e64ad5
Johnson, Colin G.
e0a59675-dc24-48fa-8dd8-e51d9d754912
Timmis, Jon
b68f4b8e-6192-4caf-858d-8185f6e7c66f
Mills, Rob and Watson, Richard A.
,
Capcarrere, Mathieu S., Freitas, Alex A., Bentley, Peter J., Johnson, Colin G. and Timmis, Jon
(eds.)
(2005)
Genetic Assimilation and Canalisation in the Baldwin Effect.
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, LNCS 3, .
Abstract
The Baldwin Effect indicates that individually learned behaviours acquired during an organism’s lifetime can influence the evolutionary path taken by a population, without any direct Lamarckian transfer of traits from phenotype to genotype. Several computational studies modelling this effect have included complications that restrict its applicability. Here we present a simplified model that is used to reveal the essential mechanisms and highlight several conceptual issues that have not been clearly defined in prior literature. In particular, we suggest that canalisation and genetic assimilation, often conflated in previous studies, are separate concepts and the former is actually not required for non-heritable phenotypic variation to guide genetic variation. Additionally, learning, often considered to be essential for the Baldwin Effect, can be replaced with a more general phenotypic plasticity model. These simplifications potentially permit the Baldwin Effect to operate in much more general circumstances.
More information
Published date: 2005
Additional Information:
Event Dates: September 2005
Venue - Dates:
8th European Conference on Artificial Life, ECAL 2005, Canterbury, United Kingdom, 2005-09-01
Keywords:
Baldwin Effect, genetic assimilation, canalisation
Organisations:
Agents, Interactions & Complexity, EEE
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 261486
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/261486
ISBN: 3-540-28848-1
ISSN: 0302-9743
PURE UUID: b67c47c1-a9f8-472b-bda5-0c83934df346
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 24 Oct 2005
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:21
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Contributors
Author:
Rob Mills
Author:
Richard A. Watson
Editor:
Mathieu S. Capcarrere
Editor:
Alex A. Freitas
Editor:
Peter J. Bentley
Editor:
Colin G. Johnson
Editor:
Jon Timmis
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