Evolution of autocatalytic sets in a competitive percolation model

The evolution of autocatalytic sets (ACS) is a widespread process in biological, chemical and ecological systems which is of great significance in many applications, such as the evolution of new species or complex chemical organizations. In this paper, we propose a competitive model with a m-selection rule in which an abrupt emergence of a macroscopic independent ACS is observed. By numerical simulations, we find that the maximal increase of the size grows linearly with the system size. We analytically derive the threshold tα where the abrupt jump happens and verify it by simulations. Moreover, our analysis explains how this giant independent ACS grows and reveals that, as the selection rule becomes more strict, the phase transition is dramatically postponed, and the number of the largest independent ACSs coexisting in the system increases accordingly. Our research work deepens the understanding of the evolution of ACS and should provide useful information for designing strategies to control the emergence of ACS in corresponding applications.