Simulating macroevolutionary trends and open-ended evolution with a novel mechanistic multi-level approach

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Publicado en:PLoS One vol. 20, no. 11 (Nov 2025), p. e0335033
Autor principal: Latorre, Roberto
Otros Autores: Brun-Usan, Miguel, Fernández-Lázaro, Gloria
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Public Library of Science
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100 1 |a Latorre, Roberto 
245 1 |a Simulating macroevolutionary trends and open-ended evolution with a novel mechanistic multi-level approach 
260 |b Public Library of Science  |c Nov 2025 
513 |a Journal Article 
520 3 |a Microevolution and macroevolution describe evolutionary change at different scales: short-term genetic and phenotypic variation within populations, and long-term patterns of diversification and extinction. Despite their interconnected nature, they have often been studied separately, and the reciprocal causal links between them remain poorly understood due to their operation on different timescales and the complexity of the processes involved, making mechanistic approaches particularly challenging. To bridge this operational gap, we introduce a novel bottom-up, process-based computational framework that integrates genotype-to-phenotype mapping, fitness evaluation under environmental constraints, and biotic interactions shaping ecological niches and adaptive pressures, while incorporating lower-level mechanisms such as mutation, gene flow, and gene-pool expansion through stochastic duplication of genes. Its modular design accommodates diverse microevolutionary mechanisms to study the emergence of large-scale eco-evolutionary patterns from explicit individual-level processes.The framework allows addressing research questions ranging from the formation of spatiotemporal biodiversity patterns to the role of eco-evolutionary feedbacks in macroevolution. It provides an open-ended platform that serves both as a theoretical tool for testing evolutionary hypotheses and as a flexible environment for exploratory simulations. To illustrate its heuristic potential, we present proof-of-concept simulations under biologically plausible conditions that reproduce multiple well-documented macroevolutionary patterns–such as biphasic diversification, saturating and exponential-like biodiversity trends, speciation–extinction correlations, species duration distributions, and niche structuring–as emergent phenomena. Beyond reproducing patterns, the simulations reveal underlying mechanisms, including trial-and-error dynamics in long-term adaptation, high species turnover maintaining biodiversity equilibrium, and self-organized niche occupancy.These findings establish the framework as a versatile tool for investigating the complex interplay of ecological and evolutionary forces shaping biodiversity. By capturing emergent dynamics from mechanistic microevolutionary processes without imposing predefined constraints, the model provides a unique perspective on long-term evolutionary change, contributing to a broader theoretical toolkit for studying macroevolutionary patterns under controlled conditions. Future extensions could assess how variations in environmental dynamics, genomic architecture, or species interactions influence evolutionary trajectories, refining our understanding of biodiversity evolution. 
653 |a Evolution 
653 |a Phenotypic variations 
653 |a Trends 
653 |a Biodiversity 
653 |a Phenotypes 
653 |a Adaptation 
653 |a Speciation 
653 |a Genotypes 
653 |a Genotype & phenotype 
653 |a Genes 
653 |a Niches 
653 |a Ecological niches 
653 |a Species extinction 
653 |a Gene flow 
653 |a Simulation 
653 |a Toolkits 
653 |a Controlled conditions 
653 |a Hypotheses 
653 |a Endangered & extinct species 
653 |a Biological evolution 
653 |a Genetic engineering 
653 |a Flexibility 
653 |a Modular design 
653 |a Evolutionary biology 
653 |a Macroevolution 
653 |a Complexity 
653 |a Constraints 
653 |a Extinction 
653 |a Genetic diversity 
653 |a Environmental 
700 1 |a Brun-Usan, Miguel 
700 1 |a Fernández-Lázaro, Gloria 
773 0 |t PLoS One  |g vol. 20, no. 11 (Nov 2025), p. e0335033 
786 0 |d ProQuest  |t Health & Medical Collection 
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