Integrated Evolutionary Algorithms
Pavel Osmera, Jan Roupec
Institute of Automation and Computer Science
Brno University of Technology, Technicka 2, 616 69 Brno, Czech Republic
osmera @uai.fme.vutbr.cz, jroupec @uai.fme.vutbr.cz
Abstract. The role of sex in evolutionary algorithms, difference between gene and meme
are presented. The role of Darwinian selection process, Mendelians genetics, Lamarckian
inheritance, Baldwin effect and Dawkins theory of memes are discussed. All states of
integrated evolution can be stored in four memories. It is impossible to describe all
evolutionary problems only by Mendel, Darwin, Lamarck, Baldwin, or Dawkins ideas; only
all these theories together can cover the complex structure of evolution. The adaptive
significance of sexuality in GAs and the comparison with standard GAs using lifetime limit
are presented.
1 Introduction
Scientific discussion of evolution date back than 200 years [1]. Jean Baptiste de
Lamarck was the first person to support the idea of evolution with logical
arguments and was also the first person to put forth and hypothesis concerning the
mechanisms of evolutionary change. He suggested that living organisms have the
ability to change gradually over many generations by the inheritance of structure
that have become larger and more highly developed as a result of continued use
or, conversely, have diminished in size as a result of disuse. Only part of
evolutionary changes has been related with the mechanisms proposed by Lamarck
(see Figure 1).
Darwin suggested that slight variation among individuals significantly affects the
change that a given individual will survive and reproduce. He called this
differential reproductive success of varying individuals natural selection. Darwin
recognized that the reproductive rates of organisms are so high that they would
result in enormous population increases if all the offspring survived.
Gregor Mendel (1822-1884) accurately observed patterns of inheritance and
proposed a mechanism to account for some of the patterns. Genes determine
individual traits. Various kinds of offspring appear in proportion that can be
predicted from Mendel's laws. We often use the term Mendelian genetics (see
memory I in Fig. 1) to refer to the most basic patterns of inheritance in sexually
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