CA Simulation of Biological Evolution in Genetic Hyperspace

Michael A. Saum and Sergey Gavrilets

Realistic simulation of biological evolution by necessity
requires simplification and reduction in the dimensionality of the corresponding dynamic
system.  Even when this is done, the dynamics remain complex.
We utilize a Stochastic Cellular Automata model
to gain a better understanding of the evolutionary dynamics
involved in the origin of new species, specifically focusing on rapid speciation
in an island metapopulation environment.  The effects of reproductive isolation,
mutation, migration, spatial structure, and extinction on the emergence of new
species are all studied numerically within this context.