Figure 5
Analyses of the interaction between interpretation and fitness for the PV ribozyme. Data are for reaction times of 5 minutes. (A) The parameter-space in which the probability of the presence of the sign (10 mM Ca2+) is 0.5 and the probability of the presence of 25 mM Mg2+ (as opposed to 0.5 mM Mg2+) varies from 0 to 1 (x-axis). The proportion of total product attributable to the interpretive component (I) of the ribozyme activity is shown on the y-axis. Four different scenarios from the total parameter space are illustrated, each with a different correlation coefficient (r) between the probability of the sign (10 mM Ca2+) and the probability of the favourable environment (25 mM Mg2+): r = 1 (closed circles), r = 0.75 (closed triangles), r = 0.5 (open triangles), r = 0.25 (open circles). (B) The proportion of total activity of the PV ribozyme attributable to interpretation (y-axis) at varying probabilities of high (25 mM) Mg2+ (x-axis) with varying probabilities of the presence of the sign (10 mM Ca2+) and maximal correlation between the sign and the favourable environment (r = 1). Probability of the presence of the sign = 0.1 (closed circles), 0.3 (closed triangles), 0.5 (open triangles), 0.7 (open circles). For each of these curves a further set would be generated by lower levels of correlation, corresponding to the nest of curves in panel A. (C) Maximum available interpretive benefit (y-axis) at varying probabilities (x-axis) of the favourable environment (25 mM Mg2+) at various correlations (r) between the sign and the favourable environment: r = 1 (closed circles), r = 0.75 (closed triangles), r = 0.5 (open triangles), r = 0.25 (open circles). Each calculated point corresponds to a peak on a member of the set of curves of which four are shown panel B.