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Assessing Social Dominance in Mouse Models Using the Tube Test

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House mouse subspecies do differ in their social structure.

Ondřej Mikula^1,2, Miloš Macholán^1,3, Ľudovít Ďureje²

¹Laboratory of Mammalian Evolutionary Genetics, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Czech Academy of Sciences Brno Czech Republic.

Ecology and Evolution

|January 2, 2023

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Social structure impacts evolution. House mouse subspecies Mus musculus domesticus show more modular social units than Mus musculus musculus, influencing reproductive success and population dynamics.

Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
Behavioral ecology
Population genetics

Background:

Population structure significantly influences evolutionary trajectories in social animals.
Understanding social structure differences between diverging populations is crucial for evolutionary studies.
Two house mouse subspecies, Mus musculus musculus and Mus musculus domesticus, provide a model system due to their contact zone in Europe.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate and compare the social structure and dynamics of two house mouse subspecies, Mus musculus musculus and M. m. domesticus.
To determine if M. m. domesticus forms tighter and more isolated social units than M. m. musculus.
To identify potential differences in reproductive control and social organization between the subspecies.

Main Methods:

Keywords:

M. m. domesticus Mus musculus musculus demes modularity radio‐frequency identification social networks

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Utilized radiofrequency identification (RFID) experiments in semi-natural enclosures.
Collected large longitudinal data sets on individual mouse movements.
Constructed uni- and multi-layer social networks to analyze social units (modules).

Main Results:

Both subspecies had similar numbers of social units, but M. m. domesticus exhibited a more "modular" structure.
M. m. domesticus displayed increased intramodular social interactions and spatial separation.
Higher persistence of parent-offspring contacts and lower multiple paternity in M. m. domesticus suggest stronger male reproductive control.

Conclusions:

Provides the first robust evidence of distinct social structures and dynamics between Mus musculus musculus and Mus musculus domesticus.
Identified long-lasting social modules as potential basic reproductive units or demes.
Differences in social structure likely impact reproductive strategies and population evolutionary trajectories.