Dynamics of small autocatalytic reaction networks. II: Replication, mutation and catalysis (Q1343379)

[For part I see ibid. 52, No. 4, 485-508 (1990; Zbl 0707.92009)]. The aim of the paper is to introduce and to study the mutation and replication within the (second-order) autocatalytic reaction networks. The replication-mutation differential equations are neither of replicator type nor can they be transformed directly into a linear equation. Examples of low-dimensional dynamical systems \((n = 2, 3, 4)\) are discussed, and a complete qualitative analysis is presented. Error thresholds known from simple replication-mutation kinetics with frequency independent replication rates occur in the studied case as well, but instead of cooperative transitions or higher order phase transitions, the thresholds behave as supercritical or subcritical bifurcations, being analogous to first-order transitions.