Temporal niche pursuit in a simulated evolution of sleep/wake patterns

It was long believed early mammals were nocturnal to avoid interactions with day-active dinosaurs. However, recent evidence indicates many dinosaurs were likely nocturnal, suggesting more complex coevolutionary dynamics prevailed. We simulated coevolution of sleep in a general predator/prey system, using a physiological model. We discovered temporal niche pursuit cycles across evolutionary timescales: prey repeatedly escaping into a novel temporal niche, with predators subsequently invading that niche. We characterized multiple oscillatory patterns for pursuit, involving distinct genetic and phenotypic mechanisms. A low-dimensional model recapitulated the dynamics of the physiological model. These findings reveal rich dynamical processes underlying selection of temporal niche.