Mechanisms of interaction between learning and evolution

The main properties of the interaction between learning and evolutionary optimization are quantitatively analyzed. These properties are the following: (1) the genetic assimilation, (2) the hiding effect, (3) the influence of the learning load on the interaction between learning and evolution. The genetic assimilation means that the acquired features of organisms obtained by means of individual learning can become inherited during many generations of Darwinian evolution. The hiding effect means that strong learning can inhibit the evolutionary search for the optimal genotype. The learning load means that the fitness of an organism can be reduced due to learning because the learning process needs some energy and time. Our analysis is based on the quasispecies model of evolution (Eigen, 1971; Eigen & Schuster, 1979). Basing on this model, it is sufficient to consider only single significant variable, the distance from the optimum. This ensures the clear quantitative analysis of mechanisms of the interaction between learning and evolution. The interaction between learning and evolution is analyzed by means of computer simulation.