We introduce a model of biological evolution in which species evolve in response to biotic interactions and fluctuating environmental stress. The species may either become extinct or mutate to acquire a new fitness value when the effective stress level is greater than their individual fitness. The model exhibits a phase transition to a completely extinct phase as the environmental stress or the mutation rate is varied. We discuss the generic conditions for which this transition is continuous. The model is exactly solvable and the critical behavior is characterized by an unusual dynamic exponent $z=1/3.$ Apart from predicting large-scale evolution, the model can be applied to understand the trends in the available fossil data.

• Received 19 September 2011

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.84.061921