Evolutionary change and adaptation as non-equilibrium thermodynamic processes

We recast evolutionary change and adaptation in a phenomenological non-equilibrium thermodynamics framework by defining evolutionary forces and their conjugate fluxes. The central quantity in this context is entropy production, defined specifically for dynamic evolutionary processes within populations. The outcomes of our framework show that the total entropy production in a population splits into three contributions, including the additive fitness, adaptable variable, and mutational fluxes and reveals cross-couplings that link mutation, trait variation, and fitness change. Based on general principles rather than species-specific descriptions, our equations capture key components of biological adaptation mechanisms as discussed in the context of experimental findings.