Selection in systems of self-reproducing macromolecules under the constraint of controlled energy fluxes

✍ Scribed by B.L. Jones

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1979
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 287 KB
• Volume: 41
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1522-9602
• DOI: 10.1016/s0092-8240(79)80014-2

✦ Synopsis

We consider a method for selection among a collection of self-reproducing macromolecular information carriers. The information carriers are assumed subject to the general constraint in which the fluxes of the energy rich monomers used in the syntheses of the information carriers are controlled externally. The constraint forces a competition among the various macromolecular species and a Darwinian like selection takes place. We show that the overall selective behaviour is independent of the specific form of the constraint. A general criteria for selection is given and we show that the selection process may generally be characterized by an optimization principle.

Z Ak( 1 --Qk)Xk = Z Z q)k,X,.

(2)

We shall denote the total population density by n(t)= ~k Xk(t) •