Reproduction

evolib.operators.reproduction.generate_cloned_offspring(parents, lambda_, *, current_gen=0)

Creates lambda_ cloned offspring by randomly selecting parents with replacement.

Each offspring is a deep copy of a randomly chosen parent. This method performs no crossover or mutation and is typically used in evolutionary strategies such as (mu, lambda), (mu + lambda), or steady-state evolution to initialize raw offspring before variation operators are applied.

Lineage tracking:

• Sets parent_id to parent’s ID

• Sets birth_gen to current_gen

• Resets structural and HELI flags

Parameters:

• parents (List[Any]) – List of parent individuals to clone from.

• lambda_ (int) – Number of offspring to create.

• current_gen (int) – current generation index (for birth_gen annotation).

Returns:

List of cloned offspring individuals.

Return type:

List[Any]

Raises:

ValueError – If the parent list is empty or lambda_ is not positive.