An ensemble approach to the evolution of complex systems

Abstract

Adaptive systems frequently incorporate complex structures which can arise spontaneously and which may be nonadaptive in the evolutionary sense. We give examples from phase transition and fractal growth to develop the themes of cooperative phenomena and pattern formation. We discuss RNA interference and transcriptional gene regulation networks, where a major part of the topological properties can be accounted for by mere combinatorics. A discussion of ensemble approaches to biological systems and measures of complexity is presented, and a connection is established between complexity and fitness.

Group behaviour in physical, chemical and biological systems

“…well above that of quantum fields or elementary particles; the link between phenomenology and quantum field theory is believed to be secure even if not always spelt out explicitly. The explanation rests on concepts such as interaction probabilities between atoms or molecules, the fact that the same macroscopic configuration can be consistent with many equivalent microscopic configurations and considerations of 'phase space' (Arpağ and Erzan 2014).…”