A systematic review and meta-analysis of eyespot anti-predator mechanisms.

Autor:	Mizuno A; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.; Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.; Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada., Lagisz M; Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia., Pollo P; Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia., Yang Y; Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia., Soma M; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan., Nakagawa S; Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.; Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.; Theoretical Sciences Visiting Program, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Onna, Japan.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	ELife [Elife] 2024 Dec 12; Vol. 13. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Dec 12.
DOI:	10.7554/eLife.96338
Abstrakt:	Eyespot patterns have evolved in many prey species. These patterns were traditionally explained by the eye mimicry hypothesis, which proposes that eyespots resembling vertebrate eyes function as predator avoidance. However, it is possible that eyespots do not mimic eyes: according to the conspicuousness hypothesis, eyespots are just one form of vivid signals where only conspicuousness matters. They might work simply through neophobia or unfamiliarity, without necessarily implying aposematism or the unprofitability to potential predators. To test these hypotheses and explore factors influencing predators' responses, we conducted a meta-analysis with 33 empirical papers that focused on bird responses to both real lepidopterans and artificial targets with conspicuous patterns (i.e. eyespots and non-eyespots). Supporting the latter hypothesis, the results showed no clear difference in predator avoidance efficacy between eyespots and non-eyespots. When comparing geometric pattern characteristics, bigger pattern sizes and smaller numbers of patterns were more effective in preventing avian predation. This finding indicates that single concentric patterns have stronger deterring effects than paired ones. Taken together, our study supports the conspicuousness hypothesis more than the eye mimicry hypothesis. Due to the number and species coverage of published studies so far, the generalisability of our conclusion may be limited. The findings highlight that pattern conspicuousness is key to eliciting avian avoidance responses, shedding a different light on this classic example of signal evolution. Competing Interests: AM, ML, PP, YY, MS, SN No competing interests declared (© 2024, Mizuno et al.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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