I’ve written numerous times about the value diversity can bring in terms of fresh ideas and new perspectives on common problems.  Equally however, I’ve also written about the coordination costs at a team level when diverse perspectives are introduced into the team.

New research from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver highlights how a similar range of outcomes can occur at a population level when migrants enter a community.  The research consists of a mathematical model that aims to analyze the impact of migration on the spatial distribution of individuals within a population, which in turn would impact their ability to cooperate.

Cooperation is a classic game theory-related problem, as it’s vital for communities to thrive as it allows knowledge and resources to be shared successfully, but if too many members of the community act selfishly, the whole thing breaks down.  Trust is central, and migration can impact this as it introduces strangers for whom no trust has yet developed into the community.

Testing cooperation

The model developed by the researchers aims to accurately describe the way individuals move throughout a community, and either cooperate with others or defect from the group.  The analysis revealed that different modes of migration appear to promote or inhibit heterogeneity in the distribution of people, and when heterogeneous patterns formed, cooperation typically emerged and the overall population thrived.

For example, if cooperators moved towards fellow cooperators, they would typically form strong and cooperative communities, with public goods subsequently becoming abundant.  When defectors followed and took advantage of these cooperators however, the resources of the community tended to be plundered and the community would fall apart.

So how can this scenario be avoided?  The authors suggest that it’s futile to try and avoid the defectors entirely, as this jeopardizes the relationships between true cooperators.  Similarly, defectors can generate heterogeneous patterns by avoiding other defectors by moving into peripheral areas, which allows cooperative communities to emerge.

“Our model was inspired, in particular, by naturally occurring modes of directed migration, such as chemotaxis, which allows microbes to locate attractive regions while steering clear of detrimental ones,” the researchers conclude. “Our findings could inform future experimental designs to study the role of migration in the development of antibiotic resistance.”