In this paper we study the evolution of sequential dynamical systems [Formula: see text] as a result of the erroneous replication of the SDS words. An [Formula: see text] consists of (a) a finite, labeled graph Y in which each vertex has a state, (b) a vertex labeled sequence of functions (Fvi,Y), and (c) a word w, i.e. a sequence (w1,…,wk), where each wi is a Y-vertex. The function Fwi,Y updates the state of vertex wi as a function of the states of wi and its Y-neighbors and leaves the states of all other vertices fixed. The [Formula: see text] over the word w and Y is the composed map: [Formula: see text]. The word w represents the genotype of the [Formula: see text] in a natural way. We will randomly flip consecutive letters of w with independent probability q and study the resulting evolution of the [Formula: see text]. We introduce combinatorial properties of [Formula: see text] which allow us to construct a new distance measure [Formula: see text] for words. We show that [Formula: see text] captures the similarity of corresponding [Formula: see text]. We will use the distance measure [Formula: see text] to study neutrality and mutation rates in the evolution of words. We analyze the structure of neutral networks of words and the transition of word populations between them. Furthermore, we prove the existence of a critical mutation rate beyond which a population of words becomes essentially randomly distributed, and the existence of an optimal mutation rate at which a population maximizes its mutant offspring.
Predecessors Existence Problems and Gardens of Eden in Sequential Dynamical Systems