Skip to main content
Figure 1 | BMC Evolutionary Biology

Figure 1

From: The role of genome and gene regulatory network canalization in the evolution of multi-trait polymorphisms and sympatric speciation

Figure 1

Overview of the model. A Organisms reside on a 2D grid world in which they live, move, reproduce and die. B Individuals contain a genome which consists of a linear array of genes and TFBS upstream of these genes. There are two types of genes, transcription factor (TF) and phenotype genes. The genome codes for a gene regulatory network, with genes as nodes and TFBS as edges of the network. The edges represent the activating (green) or repressing (red) influence of TF genes on the expression of other genes. A birth state dictates the initial expression state of the genes. The network edges determine how gene states are updated as a function of the state of other genes. The phenotype of the individual is determined by the final state of only the phenotype genes. This final state is reached once updating leads to a steady state gene expression pattern or if a maximum number of update steps have been performed. C Mutation events that can occur involve either individual TFBS, individual genes, or stretches of genome. D Sexual reproduction is implemented as a crossing over between two parental genomes to create offspring genomes. Crossing over occurs between homologous locations: where the two parental genomes have the same gene type.

Back to article page