Data from: Family dynamics reveal that female house mice preferentially breed in their maternal community

Whether females breed in their natal group is an important factor in the
evolution of extended families in animal sociality. Breeding in natal
groups comes with costs and benefits, depending on group size and presence
of older relatives, including mothers. Studying the consequences of
breeding in the natal versus another group provides insight into the
decisions and trade-offs governing the formation and structure of family
groups. We investigated the family dynamics of a population of
free-ranging commensal house mice. Using dynamic community detection on
long term datasets, we determined which females first bred in their natal
group. We then looked at how this influenced breeding success. We found
most females (77%) exhibited strong philopatry, breeding in their natal
groups. Breeding elsewhere was only somewhat predictable at very large and
very small group sizes. Despite their philopatric preference, breeding
elsewhere made no difference in how quickly and successfully a female
bred. However, presence of their mother did lead females to breed sooner
when born during high breeding activity, when competition over
reproduction is high. Based on these results, potential loss of
reproductive success from leaving the natal group does not seem to be the
main driver of philopatry in female house mice. The effect of the presence
of mothers suggests that benefiting from established social connections
promotes breeding in the natal group. Mothers providing benefits also
implies a lack of conflict between generations, which will be important
for the development of stable social groups.