An Axiomatic Characterization of the MVSHN Group Fitness Ordering

Walter Bossert, Chloe X. Qi and John Weymark

Cahiers de recherche from Universite de Montreal, Departement de sciences economiques

Abstract: In order to analyze a unicellular-multicellular evolutionary transition, a multicellular organism is identified with the vector of viabilities and fecundities of its constituent cells. The Michod–Viossat–Solari–Hurand–Nedelcu index of group fitness for a multicellular organism is a function of these cell viabilities and fecundities. The MVSHN index has been used to analyze the germ-soma specialization and the fitness decoupling between the cell and organism levels that takes place during the transition to multicellularity. In this article, social choice theory is used to provide an axiomatic characterization of the group fitness ordering of vectors of cell viabilities and fecundities underlying the MVSHN index.

Keywords: Group fitness index; evolutionary transitions; germ-soma specialization; fitness decoupling; social choice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 21 pages
Date: 2012
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Working Paper: An Axiomatic Characterization of the MVSHN Group Fitness Ordering (2012)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:mtl:montde:2012-13

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