Economic Performance, Evolution and MHC Diversity

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Economic Performance, Evolutionand MHC Diversity

• Workshop sponsored by
• NWOs Evolution and Behaviour Programme
• Maastricht, November 2004
• Lex Borghans, Bas ter Weel (Maastricht)
• Ido Pen, Simon Verhulst, Franjo Weissing
  (Groningen)

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Economics and Evolution

• Although individuals do not operate consciously
  so as to assure the evolutionary advantage of
  their type (i.e., their variant within the
  species), those whose operations are most
  suitable to the environment would dominate the
  distribution
• The economic environment determines the type
  with the evolutionary advantage
• Galor and Moav, Natural Selection and the Origin
  of Economic Growth, QJE, 2002

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MHC Diversity and Economic Growth

• MHC is very important for the immune system
• Known for its diversity and role in sexual
  selection
• Characteristics of the immune system will have
  effects for others and are therefore interesting
  for the link between individuals and populations

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MHC Diversity and Economic Growth
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Interesting Questions

• What explains this link between MHC diversity and
  economic performance?
• Individual selection versus group selection
• Is MHC diversity also relevant for the selection
  of cooperative partners?

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Rob de Boer

• What explains this link between MHC diversity and
  economic performance?
• What explains MHC diversity
• Is evolution related to economic performance
• Individual selection versus group selection
• Is MHC diversity also relevant for the selection
  of cooperative partners?

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Thorsten Reusch

• What explains this link between MHC diversity and
  economic performance?
• What explains MHC diversity
• Is evolution related to economic performance
• Individual selection versus group selection
• Is MHC diversity also relevant for the selection
  of cooperative partners?

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Uwe Sunde

• What explains this link between MHC diversity and
  economic performance?
• What explains MHC diversity
• Is evolution related to economic performance
• Individual selection versus group selection
• Is MHC diversity also relevant for the selection
  of cooperative partners?

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Gilles Saint-Paul

• What explains this link between MHC diversity and
  economic performance?
• What explains MHC diversity
• Is evolution related to economic performance
• Individual selection versus group selection
• Is MHC diversity also relevant for the selection
  of cooperative partners?

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Haim Ofek

• What explains this link between MHC diversity and
  economic performance?
• What explains MHC diversity
• Is evolution related to economic performance
• Individual selection versus group selection
• Is MHC diversity also relevant for the selection
  of cooperative partners?

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Ronald Noë

• What explains this link between MHC diversity and
  economic performance?
• What explains MHC diversity
• Is evolution related to economic performance
• Individual selection versus group selection
• Is MHC diversity also relevant for the selection
  of cooperative partners?

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Michiel van Boven

• What explains this link between MHC diversity and
  economic performance?
• What explains MHC diversity
• Is evolution related to economic performance
• Individual selection versus group selection
• Is MHC diversity also relevant for the selection
  of cooperative partners?

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Conclusions

• MHC diversity is subject to many evolutionary
  forces
• This is very informative to understand economic
  processes
• While economic conditions are important to
  understand the evolutionary outcome

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Whats Next?
Theory

• Is there a role for (MHC) signalling in
  cooperation?
• What determines the nature of sexual selection on
  the MHC?
• How does the (economic and pathogen) environment
  influence the role of the MHC?

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Stickleback
Experiments!
Students
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