Genetic evolution of a multi-generational population in the context of interstellar space travels -- Part II: Phenotypic effects of gene expression

TL;DR

This study explores how genetic mutations and radiation exposure influence phenotypic traits and genetic structure in a multi-generational space-faring population, highlighting the role of natural selection under different radiation scenarios.

Contribution

It extends previous models by incorporating phenotypic effects of mutations and radiation, demonstrating their impact on population genetics during interstellar travel.

Findings

Large crews maintain stable allele frequencies under normal radiation.

High radiation levels significantly alter genetic structure and phenotypic traits.

Shield degradation and cosmic events can cause drastic genetic changes.

Abstract

In the first paper of this series, we included the effects of population genetics in the agent-based Monte Carlo code HERITAGE under the hypothesis of neutral phenotypic effects. It implied that mutations (genetic changes) had only neutral physical manifestations. We now relax this assumption by including genetic effects of mutation and neo-mutations (from radiations) onto the population's life expectancy, fertility, pregnancy chances and miscarriage rates. When applied to a population aboard a generation ship that travels at sub-light speed towards a distant exoplanet, we demonstrate that natural selection indirectly affects the genetic structure of a population via the contribution of phenotypes, in agreement with past studies in conservation biology. For large starting crews (about 500 individuals), the effect aligns with the neutral hypothesis and the frequency of alleles (for non-sexual chromosomes) is stable over centuries. Results are completely different if the spacecraft shielding, integrated into hull design, fails to efficiently protect the crew from high-energy cosmic rays and showers of secondary particles. We tested different scenarios, in which the level of radiation is either fixed at normal or extreme levels, or changing over time due to, e.g., shield degradation, on-board nuclear incident or the outburst of a supernova situated 50 light-years away.