Fig. 2: A simplified conceptual depiction of an example of evolvability-enhancing mutations.
From: Mutations that enhance evolvability may open doors to faster adaptation
In this scenario, with binary representation, [0] and [1] corresponding to the presence and absence of a mutation. In a standard hypergraph description of a combinatorially-complete set of mutations, an evolvability-enhancing mutation is present in high-fitness genotypes (large grey circles). The mutation at the second locus (1*) is an evolvability-enhancing mutation because all subsequent mutations on a genetic background that contain it are relatively high fitness alleles, including the fitness peak (111). Weighted arrows correspond to accessible trajectories to the peak. Note that evolvability enhancing mutations need not increase fitness on their own, but rather, provide access to high fitness sections a fitness landscape.
