While the use of microbial model systems in experimental evolution has made great contributions to our understanding of evolutionary processes, technological limitations and the problems of transparency they cause continue to inhibit their use in understanding even the most basic evolutionary phenomena. Conventional mathematical models are too constraining in that the range of genotypes and fitnesses must be designated at the outset, and so such models cannot be used to describe truly open-ended systems. In this thesis, I use Artificial Life technology to investigate patterns and mechanisms of evolution over short and long periods of time in a simulated chemostat-type system. The system may be rendered completely transparent, and is "open" in that genotypes with unique sequences and fitness arise unpredictably through mutation and selection. / The results demonstrate that Artificial Life technology is an open-ended, yet tractable system that may be used satisfactorily to investigate problems that he beyond the reach of current theory and biotechnology. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.33047 |
| Date | January 2001 |
| Creators | Yedid, Gabriel. |
| Contributors | Bell, Graham A. C. (advisor) |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Biology.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 001846729, proquestno: MQ75359, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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