Selection advantage of metabolic over non-metabolic replicators: A kinetic analysis |
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Authors: | Nathaniel Wagner Addy Pross Emmanuel Tannenbaum |
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Affiliation: | Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er-Sheva 84105, Israel |
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Abstract: | A kinetic analysis and simulation of the replication reactions of two competing replicators—one non-metabolic (thermodynamic), the other metabolic, are presented. Our analysis indicates that in a rich resource environment the non-metabolic replicator is likely to be kinetically selected for over the metabolic replicator. However, in the more typical resource-poor environment it will be the metabolic replicator that is the kinetically more stable entity, and the one that will be kinetically selected for. Accordingly, a causal relationship between the emergence of a simple replicator and the emergence of a metabolic system is indicated. The results lend further support for the “replication first” school of thought in the origin of life problem by providing a mechanistic basis for the emergence of a metabolism, once a simple non-metabolic replicating system has itself been established. The study reaffirms our view that the roots of Darwinian theory may be found within standard chemical kinetic theory. |
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Keywords: | Replication first Metabolism first Teleonomy Purpose Origin of life |
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