# Absolute negative mobility in evolution

## TL;DR

This paper explores a population-genetic model with a fluctuating fitness landscape, revealing a counter-intuitive decrease in evolutionary rate with increased selection pressure, explained through an analogy with absolute negative mobility.

## Contribution

It demonstrates the occurrence of absolute negative mobility in evolution, providing a novel analogy and phenomenological explanation for this counter-intuitive behavior.

## Key findings

- Evolution rate decreases as selection pressure increases.
- Absolute negative mobility observed in population genetics.
- Phenomenological explanation supports the analogy.

## Abstract

We investigate a population-genetic model with a temporally-fluctuating sawtooth fitness landscape. We numerically show that a counter-intuitive behavior occurs where the rate of evolution of the system decreases as selection pressure increases from zero. This phenomenon is understood by analogy with absolute negative mobility in particle flow. A phenomenological explanation about the direction of evolution is also provided.