On the Relationship between Mutation Rates and Growth Rates in a Changing Environment

In recent dynamic models of learning and evolution a rate of mutation is usually assumed to be fixed. In this paper we use an evolutionary model to examine how the outcome of the dynamic process depends on the rate of change. In particular we examine how the log run growth rate of the population depends on the mutation rate. Insofar as evolutionary forces are likely to select mutation rates that maximize the population growth rate, our analysis sheds light on what rates of change might evolve.