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Register a new userThe Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection
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John C. Baez
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Suppose we have $n$ different types of self-replicating entity, with the population $P_i$ of the $i$th type changing at a rate equal to $P_i$ times the fitness $f_i$ of that type. Suppose the fitness $f_i$ is any continuous function of all the populations $P_1, dots, P_n$. Let $p_i$ be the fraction of replicators that are of the $i$th type. Then $p = (p_1, dots, p_n)$ is a time-dependent probability distribution, and we prove that its speed as measured by the Fisher information metric equals the variance in fitness. In rough terms, this says that the speed at which information is updated through natural selection equals the variance in fitness. This result can be seen as a modified version of Fishers fundamental theorem of natural selection. We compare it to Fishers original result as interpreted by Price, Ewens and Edwards.
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