Senescence

The paper proposes that senescence may sometimes be adaptive rather than merely a byproduct of other traits. In stable conditions without mutation or environmental decline, senescence was strongly selected against in the model. Senescence has a direct mortality cost that can be compensated by a consistent fitness advantage in descendants. Senescence creates an evolutionary paradox because it harms survival and reproductive opportunity despite being widespread. Aging-species members died at a fixed maximum age in the simulation. Senescence can remove older, less-adapted individuals from genetic and spatial competition.