Selection dynamics in transient compartmentalization

TL;DR

This paper explores how transient compartments can sustain functional replicators by analyzing selection dynamics influenced by parasite amplification and compartment size, with implications for virus-host ecology.

Contribution

It introduces a broad class of models showing how selection in small, transient compartments can maintain functional replicators, highlighting key parameters like parasite amplification and compartment size.

Findings

Selection dynamics depend on parasite amplification and compartment size.

Small compartments and high parasite amplification influence replicator survival.

Results applicable to virus-host ecological interactions.

Abstract

Transient compartments have been recently shown to be able to maintain functional replicators in the context of prebiotic studies. Motivated by this experiment, we show that a broad class of selection dynamics is able to achieve this goal. We identify two key parameters, the relative amplification of non-active replicators (parasites) and the size of compartments. Since the basic ingredients of our model are the competition between a host and its parasite, and the diversity generated by small size compartments, our results are relevant to various phage-bacteria or virus-host ecology problems.