文章基本信息

标题：Evolution in Lego ® : A Physical Simulation of Adaptation by Natural Selection
其他标题：Evolution in Lego ® : A Physical Simulation of Adaptation by Natural Selection
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作者：Jakob Christensen-Dalsgaard ; Morten Kanneworff
期刊名称：Evolution: Education and Outreach
印刷版ISSN：1936-6434
出版年度：2009
卷号：2
期号：3
页码：518-526
DOI：10.1007/s12052-008-0099-7
出版社：BioMed Central
摘要：We describe a physical simulation of natural selection in a population of legorgs, six-segment model organisms. Legorg morphology is genetically specified by five alleles on each segment. Legorgs show a simple form of motility that could evolve in originally sessile animals. This motility, the ability to move horizontally on a smooth surface, depends on the morphology and interaction of the six segments that produce different patterns of locomotion. Legorgs are selected for motility and reproduce in proportion to fitness. After just five generations, the average population motility increases 2.5 times. Additionally, we describe a slightly less time-consuming simulation of legorg evolution, where fitness is assigned by comparison with a template. The calculation of gene pools is precisely the same as in the previous simulation and produces very robust increases in fitness during five generations. The simulation is designed as a classroom experiment to explore the mechanism of natural selection. A test of its learning efficiency by evaluating the students’ conception of central aspects of evolutionary theory before and after showed a significant improvement. The surprising power of natural selection in this very simple physical system may also be exploited in more advanced experiments.
关键词：Evolution;Simulation;Natural selection;Adaptation;Active learning