Modularity Enhances the Rate of Evolution in a Rugged Fitness Landscape

Abstract

Biological systems are modular, and this modularity affects the evolution of biological systems over time and in different environments. We here develop a theory for the dynamics of evolution in a rugged, modular fitness landscape. We show analytically how horizontal gene transfer couples to the modularity in the system and leads to more rapid rates of evolution at short times. The model, in general, analytically demonstrates a selective pressure for the prevalence of modularity in biology. We use this model to show how the evolution of the influenza virus is affected by the modularity of the proteins that are recognized by the human immune system. Approximately 25\% of the observed rate of fitness increase of the virus could be ascribed to a modular viral landscape.

45 pages; 7 figures

References in corpus (5)

• Sequence Space Localization in the Immune System Response to Vaccination and Disease
• Spontaneous Emergence of Modularity in a Model of Evolving Individuals
• Phase Diagrams of Quasispecies Theory with Recombination and Horizontal Gene Transfer
• Quasispecies Theory for Horizontal Gene Transfer and Recombination
• Schwinger Boson Formulation and Solution of the Crow-Kimura and Eigen Models of Quasispecies Theory