Uma plataforma de simulação de cenários evolutivos biológicos aplicada à teoria do fitness estendido

Abstract

The impact of extended phenotypes on the contemporary theory of evolution is controversial. The extended phenotype theory states that the expression of genes may have effects beyond the body of the individual who possesses it, affecting evolutive results of other individuals which coexist with it.The extended fitness proposes that individuals with enough genetic similarity may use the extended phenotypes of each other, thus increasing the chances of survival and reproduction of the group as a whole. This work aims to model these interactions through random scale-free networks, and investigate the impact of extended phenotypes and its effects in the reproductive success of individuals in the context of groups capable of producing and sharing them. The advantages given by the use of extended phenotypes released by similar neighbors may grant an evolutionary incentive at the group level to build and share them, and this equilibrium is measured in different simulations of behavior models.