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Table 6 For nearly all combinations of parameter values, plasticity accelerates the discovery of a new optimal genotype network

From: Phenotypic plasticity can facilitate adaptive evolution in gene regulatory circuits

N

α

ω native

M

Sample size

Mean t*, control

Mean t*, plast

p-value

8

0.02

0.5

1000

498

160.3

55.1

< 2.2 × 10-16

 

0.08

  

498

160.3

53.98

< 2.2 × 10-16

 

0.01

  

498

160.3

53.49

< 2.2 × 10-16

 

0.05

 

200

498

482.27

129.2

< 2.2 × 10-16

   

10000

498

63.06

25.14

< 2.2 × 10-16

  

0.2

1000

498

53.57

29.74

< 2.2 × 10-16

  

0.8

 

498

235.86

70.17

< 2.2 × 10-16

  

0.95

 

498

251.77

79.7

< 2.2 × 10-16

16

0.01

0.5

1000

467

2476.75

1858.21

4.2 × 10-6

 

0.05

  

462

2437.04

1886.83

0.0001328

 

0.025

 

200

248

3381.98

3389.867

0.778

   

10000

500

548.65

392.58

1.5 × 10-14

  

0.2

1000

500

225.74

187.78

5.4 × 10-7

  

0.8

 

283a

4172.47

3494.55

0.00204

  1. The number of generations that a population takes to 'discover' a circuit in a new genotype network is significantly lower when we allow plasticity (t*, plast<t*, control), according to a Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
  2. The value of d is that of the old genotype network. We analyzed 500 pairs of evolving populations for each combination of N, c and d. We discarded population pairs in which any of the populations had not reached the new genotype network by the end of the simulation (t = 104). Thus, our actual sample size was lower than 500 populations. The remaining parameter values are as follows: d = 0.25; μ = 0.5. c ≈ 0.4 when N = 8 and it equals 0.2 when N = 16.
  3. a We analyzed 1500 pairs of evolving populations for the simulations that we report in this row, but the populations found the new genotype network only in 283 cases.