The spatial-and-ethological population structure, cooperation, and the evolution of sociality in rodents

• Published in: Behaviour Vol. 154; no. 6; pp. 609 - 649
• Main Author: Gromov, Vladimir S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Brill 2017
• Subjects: Review
• ISSN: 0005-7959; 1568-539X; 0005-7959
• DOI: 10.1163/1568539X-00003439

There are two types of complex social units - aggregations and family groups - in rodent populations, with an essential difference in their social organization. The impact of ecological factors on the evolution of sociality in rodents (the transition from solitary towards family-group lifestyle) is still unclear. The inter-specific comparative analysis based on quantification of social traits related to the spatial-and-ethological population structure and cooperation allows author to propose a new conceptual approach to the assessment of differences between the species under consideration in terms of the evolution of sociality. A new conceptual model of the evolution of sociality in rodents should incorporate ecological conditions and social factors, including cooperation, operating as a complex of selective forces promoting formation of family groups.