![]() In experiments with human groups facing marketplace trading decisions, ethnically diverse groups were more accurate in their pricing estimates than ethnically homogeneous groups 11. In Apis honeybees, for example, diverse hives containing workers from multiple sires were able to maintain consistent internal hive temperatures despite fluctuations in external environmental conditions, in comparison to hives containing workers from a single sire 10. ![]() The broader set of skills in diverse groups allows for more effective exploration of the problem space and greater ability to gain a solution – in comparison to more homogeneous groups, diverse groups can possess swarm intelligence 7, 8 and tend to be more robust (i.e., they maintain stability and functionality despite environmental changes) over time 9. When groups comprise members who vary in phenotype or in social network connections with one another, the group as a whole has a more diverse set of skills. ![]() One way in which diversity within groups is thought to benefit group members is because it enhances problem-solving ability 6. Diversity of types within social groups may provide group members with the ability to explore and exploit food resources in new and potentially risky environmental contexts. Furthermore, social network analysis of mixed species flocks of great tits, marsh tits ( Poecile palustris), and blue tits ( Cyanistes caeruleus) revealed that individuals benefit not just from the exploration and behavior of conspecifics, but also of heterospecifics 4, 5. For example, a mix of reactive and proactive individuals in great tit ( Parus major) flocks results in substantial movement of individuals while maintaining flock cohesion, facilitating effective exploration of foraging spaces 3. In many social species, larger groups comprise members with a diversity of personality/temperament types, and variation of types within groups may affect social organization and may improve ability to find and exploit food resources 2. One of the key benefits of group living is enhanced ability to find and exploit food resources 1. These results in a natural setting indicate that diversity, per se, can benefit individuals in mixed-species groups in biologically meaningful contexts such as finding food in novel places. For successful chickadee flocks, furthermore, the latency to obtain seed from the novel feeder was shorter the more diverse their flocks were. We found that chickadees and titmice were more likely to obtain seed from the novel feeder with greater diversity of species composition in their mixed-species flocks. We tested these possibilities using a novel feeder test in a wild songbird community containing three species that varied in their dominant-subordinate status and in their nuclear-satellite roles: Carolina chickadees ( Poecile carolinensis), tufted titmice ( Baeolophus bicolor), and white-breasted nuthatches ( Sitta carolinensis). These benefits could accrue due to larger group sizes in general but also to the diverse species composition in the groups. ![]() Mixed-species groups are common and are thought to provide benefits to group members via enhanced food finding and antipredator abilities.
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