Heuristic methods for evolutionary computation techniques

Evolutionary computation techniques, which are based on a powerful principle of evolution: survival of the ttest, constitute an interesting category of heuristic search. In other words, evolutionary techniques are stochastic algorithms whose search methods model some natural phenomena: genetic inheritance and Darwinian strife for survival. Any evolutionary algorithm applied to a particular problem must address the issue of genetic representation of solutions to the problem and genetic operators that would alter the genetic composition of o spring during the reproduction process. However, additional heuristics should be incorporated in the algorithm as well; some of these heuristic rules provide guidelines for evaluating (feasible and infeasible) individuals in the population. This paper surveys such heuristics and discusses their merits and drawbacks.