Frequency dependence shapes the adaptive landscape of imperfect Batesian mimicry
| Autor: | Sean P. Mullen, Ryan I. Hill, Susan D. Finkbeiner, Patricio A. Salazar, Sofía Nogales, Adriana D. Briscoe, Keith R. Willmott, Marcus R. Kronforst, Cassidi E. Rush |
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| Rok vydání: | 2017 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine Costa Rica Evolution ved/biology.organism_classification_rank.species Batesian mimicry Medical and Health Sciences 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Models Biological General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Predation Birds 03 medical and health sciences Adelpha iphiclus Models Abundance (ecology) Wings Animals Wings Animal Relative species abundance General Environmental Science abundance Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences General Immunology and Microbiology Adelpha serpa biology Animal seasonality ved/biology Biological Mimicry General Medicine Adelpha Biological Sciences Biological biology.organism_classification 030104 developmental biology frequency dependence Evolutionary biology Predatory Behavior Butterfly predation Ecuador General Agricultural and Biological Sciences Butterflies Biotechnology |
| Zdroj: | Proceedings. Biological sciences, vol 285, iss 1876 |
| ISSN: | 1471-2954 |
| Popis: | Despite more than a century of biological research on the evolution and maintenance of mimetic signals, the relative frequencies of models and mimics necessary to establish and maintain Batesian mimicry in natural populations remain understudied. Here we investigate the frequency-dependent dynamics of imperfect Batesian mimicry, using predation experiments involving artificial butterfly models. We use two geographically distinct populations of Adelpha butterflies that vary in their relative frequencies of a putatively defended model ( Adelpha iphiclus ) and Batesian mimic ( Adelpha serpa ). We found that in Costa Rica, where both species share similar abundances, Batesian mimicry breaks down, and predators more readily attack artificial butterfly models of the presumed mimic, A. serpa . By contrast, in Ecuador, where A. iphiclus (model) is significantly more abundant than A. serpa (mimic), both species are equally protected from predation. Our results provide compelling experimental evidence that imperfect Batesian mimicry is frequency-dependent on the relative abundance of models and mimics in natural populations, and contribute to the growing body of evidence that complex dynamics, such as seasonality or the availability of alternative prey, influence the evolution of mimetic traits. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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