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Social Evolution in African Mole-Rats – A Comparative Overview

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The Extraordinary Biology of the Naked Mole-Rat

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1319))

Abstract

The African mole-rat superfamily are a unique group of subterranean rodents that are remarkable for their adaptations to a subterranean lifestyle and their range in sociality, spanning strictly solitary species to the naked mole-rat, the most social of all rodents. Widely distributed through sub-Saharan Africa their occurrence is associated with the presence of food resources in the form of underground roots, bulbs and tubers, which form their staple diet. African mole-rats have an ancient Oligocene/Eocene origin, with the naked mole-rat, the extant species with the earliest divergence from the common ancestor of the clade. As a consequence of its early evolution the naked mole-rat appears to have acquired many extraordinary biological features, even when compared with other mole-rats. Molecular phylogenies indicate that complex sociality and cooperative breeding has been convergently gained and/or lost more than once among African mole-rats, making them a fascinating group for comparative studies of social evolution. Ultimately, ecological constraints on digging and finding food have played a role in increasing cooperative behavior and social complexity, from what was most likely a monogamous ancestor living in family groups. Phylogenetically controlled comparisons suggest that proximate control of their lifestyle shows both conservation and divergence in the underlying mechanisms.

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Photo Credit: Lorna E. Faulkes

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK

    Christopher G. Faulkes

  2. Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

    Nigel C. Bennett

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  1. Christopher G. Faulkes
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  2. Nigel C. Bennett
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    Rochelle Buffenstein

  2. Laboratory of Integrative NeuroscienceDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Thomas J. Park

  3. Department of Psychology, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, Canada

    Melissa M. Holmes

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Faulkes, C.G., Bennett, N.C. (2021). Social Evolution in African Mole-Rats – A Comparative Overview. In: Buffenstein, R., Park, T.J., Holmes, M.M. (eds) The Extraordinary Biology of the Naked Mole-Rat. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1319. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-65943-1_1

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