Mimicry in Numbers:
How does frequency dependence affect the survival of Batesian mimics in butterflies?
When you have warning colors to advertise your distastefulness to predators, and also have a look-alike without any defenses, how well does the look-alike survive in the wild? This depends on how common the look-alike is.
Butterflies from the genus Adelpha, known commonly as “sisters”, are widely distributed across the Americas. The color patterns on their wings are usually a mix of orange, white, and dark brown. These bright colors may warn predators (like birds) that they would not make a very tasty meal and in fact, could make the predator sick. However, only some species are distasteful whereas other species that look just like them are palatable and are readily eaten by predators. The ones that are tasty and palatable are considered Batesian mimics of the distasteful, unpalatable species. In this case we explore how the abundance of the unpalatable model, compared to the palatable mimic, plays a role in predation rates on the two species. The project follows data collected from two field locations: Costa Rica (equal abundance of both species) and Ecuador (high abundance of the unpalatable model). Results from this study help us understand what drives the evolution of animal phenotypes, or appearances, through predator behavior.
Javascript is required to use Gala.