"A population is said to be in an evolutionarily stable state if its genetic composition is restored by selection after a disturbance, provided the disturbance is not too large. Such a population can be genetically monomorphic or polymorphic." --Maynard Smith (1982).
Contrast this with the definition of an evolutionarily stable strategy, which is a game theory concept.
"An ESS or evolutionarily stable strategy is a strategy such that, if all the members of a population adopt it, no mutant strategy can invade." --Maynard Smith (1982).
Read more about Evolutionarily Stable State: Mathematical Formulation, Properties
Famous quotes containing the words stable and/or state:
“If it is to be done well, child-rearing requires, more than most activities of life, a good deal of decentering from ones own needs and perspectives. Such decentering is relatively easy when a society is stable and when there is an extended, supportive structure that the parent can depend upon.”
—David Elkind (20th century)
“Science is neither a single tradition, nor the best tradition there is, except for people who have become accustomed to its presence, its benefits and its disadvantages. In a democracy it should be separated from the state just as churches are now separated from the state.”
—Paul Feyerabend (19241994)