Sex as information processing: Optimality and evolution

The long-term growth rate of populations in varying environments quantifies the evolutionary value processing information that biological individuals inherit from their ancestors and acquire environment. Previous models were limited to asexual reproduction with inherited coming a single parent no recombination. We present general extension sexual an analytical solution for particular but important case, infinitesimal model quantitative genetics which assumes traits be normally distributed. study this conditions under is advantageous can evolve context autocorrelated or directionally environments, mutational biases, spatial heterogeneities, phenotypic plasticity. Our results generalize unify previous analyses. also examine proposal made by Geodakyan presence two phenotypically distinct sexes permits optimal adaptation environments. verify exists where dimorphism adaptive find its does not generally compensate twofold cost males.