Fig 2. Sets of division threshold VDiv and the number of cells Ncell with which the unstable replication of reactions (1)–(3) is avoided by (A) compartmentalization alone and (B) that with horizontal transfer of the transfer constant D = 0.01.
For the sets shown as stable [red circles], the system can continuously have cells with both fragments in the simulations up to 4 × 105 division events from an initial condition where VDiv/4 copies of each X and Y are in each cell. For the sets shown as unstable [blue squares], all cells with both fragments are lost from the system and it cannot continue growth. For the sets located at the boundary of stable and unstable area [shown in red triangles], the outcome depends on simulation runs.