Chromosome reuse in genetic algorithms

Abstract

This paper introduces a novel genetic algorithm strategy based on the reuse of chromosomes from previous generations in the creation of offspring individuals. A number of chromosomes of above-average quality, that are not utilized for recombination in the current generation, are inserted into a library called the chromosome library. The main motivation behind the chromosome reuse strategy is to trace some of the untested search directions in the recombination of potentially promising solutions. In the recombination process, chromosomes of current population are combined with the ones in the chromosome library to form a population from which offspring individuals are to be created. Chromosome library is partially updated at the end of each generation and its size is limited by a maximum value. The proposed algorithm is applied to the solution of hard numerical and combinatorial optimization problems. It outperforms the conventional genetic algorithms in all trials.