Why Sex? — Monte Carlo Simulations of Survival after Catastrophes

J. S. Sá Martins () and S. Moss de Oliveira ()
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J. S. Sá Martins: Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Av. Litorânea s/n, Boa Viagem, Niterói 24210-340, RJ, Brazil
S. Moss de Oliveira: Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Av. Litorânea s/n, Boa Viagem, Niterói 24210-340, RJ, Brazil

International Journal of Modern Physics C (IJMPC), 1998, vol. 09, issue 03, 421-432

Abstract: Using the Penna bit-string model for biological ageing we compare two kinds of reproductive regimes: Sexual reproduction (SR) and meiotic parthenogenesis (MP). The last one is a common type of asexual reproductionwith recombination, found in diploid organisms. We show that although both regimes present roughly the same survival rates, the diversity generated by SR is much larger, and can prevent the extinction of a population submitted to a natural disaster. The fixation of bad genes inside an MP population, after many generations, explains our results. We also study the consequences of cloning (simple copy) on population diversity.

Keywords: Monte Carlo Simulations; Biological Ageing; Penna Model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 1998
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DOI: 10.1142/S0129183198000327

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