Causes and consequences of cooperative construction in the mice Mus spicilegus and Peromyscus polionotus

The cooperative construction of shared dwellings is a phylogenetically-widespread evolutionary puzzle. Shared shelters are common goods - all individuals in the shelter benefit, at the expense of those individuals that contribute to the construction. The evolution of cooperation requires existing variation for selection to act upon and genetic benefits to cooperators, through inclusive fitness or direct rewards. This study focuses on two genera of mice, Mus and Peromyscus, to examine shared construction and social monogamy as potential transitions to more sophisticated forms of sociality, such as cooperative breeding.