Evolve Solution Population

---
name: evolve-solution-population
description: "Maintain a diverse population of candidate solutions, mutate/recombine variants, select under explicit fitness and novelty criteria, and iterate while preserving useful niches rather than collapsing prematurely to one winner."
---

# evolve-solution-population
## Purpose
Maintain diverse candidate solutions, mutate/recombine them, select under fitness and novelty criteria, and avoid premature convergence.
## Input contract
```yaml
mode_contracts:
  mutation-selection: &evolution_input
    required: [initial_solution_population, fitness_criteria]
    optional: [mutation_operators, novelty_criteria, iteration_budget]
    constraints: [population_members_must_be_comparable_under_declared_criteria]
  novelty-preserving-evolution: *evolution_input
```
## Execution protocol
Do not perform called SOP operations inline; each loaded SOP owns its contract and thresholds.

1. You MUST load skill `mutate-solution-population` to mutate or recombine the population.
2. You MUST load skill `select-solution-variants` to select solution variants.
3. You MUST load skill `measure-portfolio-diversity` to measure portfolio diversity.
4. You MUST load skill `assess-sensitivity` to assess selection sensitivity.
5. You MUST load skill `synthesize-idea` to synthesize the retained set.
   If the retained variants require an explicit final ordering, consider `rank-candidates` as the next tactic.
Deviation: stop when added variation no longer changes the frontier or diversity objective; retain niche candidates when explicitly protected.
## Mode branches
- `mutation-selection`: mutate/recombine, score, and select across iterations.
- `novelty-preserving-evolution`: apply diversity pressure and protect useful niches before convergence.
## Output contract
```yaml
mode_contracts:
  mutation-selection:
    produces: [mechanism_to_design_mapping, generated_solutions, synthesis]
    delta_fields: [findings, hypothesis_updates, uncertainties, decisions, open_questions]
  novelty-preserving-evolution:
    produces: [novelty_assessment]
    delta_fields: [findings, hypothesis_updates, uncertainties, decisions, open_questions]
```
## Thresholds and quality gates
- B: mutation/recombination lineage is traceable; selection criteria are explicit; diversity is measured before convergence.
## Failure and counterexamples
Reject a single-winner result when novelty or niche preservation was required, and reject variants with untracked mutations.
## Provenance map
- `creative-ideation/systematic-enumeration`, `evolution-strategy`, `variation-selection`: resolved/concept according to exact v3 lookup.
- Status: `creative-ideation/systematic-enumeration`, `evolution-strategy` resolved; `variation-selection` concept.
## Preserved source criteria ledger
- Preserve mutation, recombination, selection, diversity pressure, and niche preservation.
## Context checkpoint / Delta notes
Append population lineage, fitness changes, diversity deltas, and retained niches.