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arXiv · 2303.09084

Stress-Induced Mutagenesis Can Further Boost Population Success in Static Ecology

Kien T. Pham·Duc M. Nguyen·Duy V. Tran·Vi D. Ao·Huy D. Tran·Tuan K. Do·Trung V. Phan
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Abstract

We have developed a mathematical model that captures stress-induced mutagenesis, a fundamental aspect of pathogenic and neoplastic evolutionary dynamics, on the fitness landscape with multiple relevant genetic traits as a high-dimensional Euclidean space. In this framework, stress-induced mutagenesis manifests as a heterogeneous diffusion process. We show how increasing mutations, and thus reducing exploitation, in a static ecology with fixed carrying capacity and maximum growth rates, can paradoxically boost population size. Remarkably, this unexpected biophysical phenomenon applies universally to any number of traits.

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Kien T. Pham, Duc M. Nguyen, Duy V. Tran, Vi D. Ao, Huy D. Tran, Tuan K. Do, Trung V. Phan. 2023-03-16. Stress-Induced Mutagenesis Can Further Boost Population Success in Static Ecology. https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.09084

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