PHASE TRANSITION IN SEXUAL REPRODUCTION AND BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION

Abstract

Using Monte Carlo model of biological evolution it is discovered that populations can switch between two different strategies of their genomes' evolution: Darwinian purifying selection and complementing the haplotypes. The first one is exploited in the large panmictic populations while the second one in the small highly inbred populations. The choice depends on the crossover frequency. There is a power law relation between the critical value of crossover frequency and the size of panmictic population. Under constant inbreeding this critical value of crossover does not depend on the population size and has a character of phase transition. Close to this value sympatric speciation is observed.