# Population Dynamics > **Machine-Evolution Nexus:** [[articles/Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution|Digital Darwinism and the Invisible World of Machine Evolution]] places this node within the history and governance of substrate-independent evolution. **Domain:** Ecology / Evolution **Doc Type:** Canonical Wiki Node **Maturity:** Developed ## Definition Population dynamics studies changes in abundance, composition, spatial distribution and interaction through births, deaths, migration and competition. ## Nexus Context Digital populations make these processes directly measurable and allow parasites, competitors and resources to alter lineage frequencies over time. ## Evidence Boundary Population dynamics can occur without Darwinian evolution if traits are not inherited; evolutionary claims require connecting demographic outcomes to heritable differences. ## Relationships [[wiki/Population|Population]], [[wiki/Evolutionary Dynamics|Evolutionary Dynamics]], [[wiki/Artificial Ecology|Artificial Ecology]], [[wiki/Digital Population|Digital Population]] ## Sources / Provenance - Ecology and population-genetics texts.