Logistic map analysis of biomolecular network evolution.

We study the expansion of biomolecular networks from the view point of first evolutionary principles based on the duplication and divergence of ancestral genes. The expansion of gene families and subnetworks is analyzed in terms of logistic map compositions, which capture the varying functional constraints of individual genes in the course of evolution. Using a mean-field approach, we then demonstrate the existence of spontaneous growth-rate variations between gene families and discuss the relevance of such heterogeneous expansions for the emergent properties of actual biomolecular networks.