Environmental fluctuations can shape replicator dynamics, with important consequences for both prebiotic and modern ecosystems. However, it remains unclear how simple replicators can acquire and use information about fluctuating environments, given that such information processing is often assumed to require sophisticated mechanisms for sensing and control. Here, we show that even simple replicator networks can increase productivity by exploiting environmental information in a functional way. Using a model of autocatalytic replicators in a flow reactor, we derive an information-theoretic decomposition of productivity, with separate contributions from environmental uncertainty, side information, and distribution mismatch. We derive optimal strategies and universal bounds on the benefit of information and compare our findings with existing work, including “Kelly gambling” in information theory. By applying our framework to a model of real-world molecular replicators, we demonstrate the benefits of internal memory and propose an experimental setup for detecting functional information in a minimal chemical system. Replicator networks exposed to fluctuating environments can use information in a functional manner. In this study, the authors derive information-theoretic expressions for replicator production, revealing optimal design principles and fundamental bounds that have implications for both prebiotic replicators and modern ecosystems.
Piñero et al. (Sat,) studied this question.