Parameterizing pair approximations for takeover dynamics

Pair approximations have often been used to predict equilibrium conditions in spatially-explicit epidemiological and ecological systems. In this work, we investigate whether this method can be used to approximate takeover dynamics in spatially structured evolutionary algorithms. Our results show that the pair approximation, as originally formulated, is insufficient for approximating pre-equibilibrium dynamics, since it does not properly account for the interaction between the size and shape of the local neighborhood and the population size. After parameterizing the pair approximation to account for these influences, we demonstrate that the resulting system of differential equations can serve as a general and rapid approximator for takeover dynamics on a variety of spatially-explicit regular interaction topologies with varying population sizes. Strengths, limitations, and potential applications of the pair approximation to evolutionary computation are discussed. Categories and Subjec...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2008
• Where: GECCO
• Authors: Joshua L. Payne, Margaret J. Eppstein
• Keywords: GECCO 2008, Interaction Topologies, Optimization, Pair Approximations, Takeover Dynamics