Mites form friendly societies: Predatory mites who stick with familiar individuals are more efficient at finding food

For plant-inhabiting predatory mites, living among familiar neighbors reduces stress. This allows individuals to focus on other tasks and be more productive, in particular while they are foraging. The new study supports the theory that so-called 'social familiarity' reduces the cognitive, physiological and behavioral costs of group-living, leading to increased efficiency in other tasks.

Read the whole article on Science Daily

More from Science Daily