An investigation is reported into the effects of isolation within a population upon its evolution under a genetic algorithm. The effects of varying population size were compared between a panmictic and a continuously distributed population, each offered an identical environment. Theoretical analysis predicted a logarithmic variation of performance with population size alone. Experiment confirmed such a variation in both populations. Although the distributed population always obtained superior peak fitness, no improvement in the ability to discover optima could be attributed to isolation. However, the distributed population was clearly observed to better maintain allelic diversity. Evidence was also found for the emergence of meta-stable geographical boundaries. Possible explanations are offered.
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