The use of neutral genotype-phenotype mappings for improved evolutionary search

In natural systems, the organism or phenotype is the result of a complex de velopmental process that is played out as the genetic information is interp reted. This is in stark contrast to many artificial evolutionary systems in which the phenotype is represented directly in the genetic information and there is no such development. As well as overcoming the obvious practical impossibility of directly specifying an organism in the genotype, the devel opmental process may yield other desirable properties. One such property is neutrality in which many genotypes develop into the same phenotype. This p aper examines the effect of neutral genotype-phenotype mappings on artifici al evolutionary systems through examination of an abstract redundant mappin g based on a random Boolean network (RBN). It then goes on to examine the g enotype-phenotype mapping within a planning tool that evolves instructions for growing telecommunications networks. It is demonstrated how the right k ind of redundancy has the potential of significantly aiding the evolvabilit y of a system.