Mimic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Mimic (disambiguation).
A mimic is any species that has evolved to appear similar to another successful species in order to dupe predators into avoiding the mimic, or dupe prey into approaching the mimic. A mimic generally resembles its target in one or more of the following: appearance, behavior, and habitat. The capacity to mimic is sometimes called "mimetism." Mimetism differs from camouflage in that the mimic does not try to blend with the surroundings, but to appear as some other creature.
There are many types of mimics:
- Batesiian mimics (named after Henry Walter Bates), where the mimic resembles the successful species but does not share the attribute that discourages predation.
- Müllerian mimics (named after Fritz Müller), where the mimic resembles the successful species and shares the anti-predation attribute (dangerous or unpalatable.)
- Mertensian mimics (named after Robert Mertens), often considered a subtype of Müllerian mimicry, where harmless and deadly mimics resemble a dangerous but not usually deadly species (if the predator dies, it cannot learn to recognize e.g. a warning coloration anymore, of course). This is rare, with the most celebrated example being the harmless Milk Snake, the moderately toxic False Coral Snakes and the deadly Coral Snakes.
- Aggressive mimics (also called Peckhamian mimicry after E. G. Peckham), where the mimic resembles a harmless species in order to lure prey.
- Bakerian mimics (named after Herbert G. Baker), where the mimic resembles members of its own species in order to lure pollinators or reap other benefits, although the mimicry may not be readily apparent due to the fact that the members of the same species may still exhibit sexual dimorphism.
- Vavilovian mimics (named after Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov), where the mimic resembles a domesticated plant, but through generations of artificial selection becomes domesticated. This type of mimicry does not occur in natural ecosystems.
- Automimicry where the mimic has some part of its body resembling some other part. Examples include snakes in which the tail resembles the head and show behavior such as moving backwards to confuse predators and insects and fishes with eyespots on their hind ends to resemble the head. The term is also used when the mimic imitates other morphs within the same species such as the male looking like the female or vice versa.
For example, the Ash Borer Podosesia syringae, a moth of Family Sesiidae (Clearwing Moths), is a Batesian mimic of the Common Wasp because it resembles the wasp, but is not capable of stinging. A predator who would thus avoid the wasp would similarly avoid the Ash Borer.
On the other hand, a honeybee is a Müllerian mimic of the wasp (and vice-versa), since both share similar appearance and colouring, and both are capable of stinging.
Female fireflies of the genus Photus are an example of aggressive mimics. By copying the light signals of fireflies of other species, they lure male fireflies which are then captured and eaten.
Echinochloa oryzoides is a species of grass which is found as a weed in Rice (Oryza sativa) fields. The plant looks similar to Rice and its seeds are often mixed in rice and difficult to separate. This is a good example of Vavilovian mimicry and this close appearance is enhanced by the weeding process which is a selective force that increases the similarity of the weed in each subsequent generations.
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[edit] Mimicry in butterflies and moths
Butterflies and moths exhibit Batesian and Müllerian mimicry. The mimicry of the Ash Borer moth has already been described above. The following butterfly species are mimicked by other butterfly species which are palatable.
- Plain Tiger Danaus chrysippus.
- Common Indian Crow Euploea core.
[edit] Examples of Müllerian mimicry
The following examples are of species that meet the Müllerian mimicry criteria.
- Honey Bees and Wasps: These animals are a perfect example of Müllerian mimics because they both have the yellow and black stripes. Both creatures are harmful, fulfilling the second requirement of Müllerian mimicry.
- Butterflies: Limenitis archippus (the Viceroy butterfly) mimics Danaus plexippus (the Monarch) in coloration patterns and display behavior. Both Butterflies are poisonous and communicate this to potential predators by means of very similar color patterns and display behaviors.
- The Bush Viper (young) and the Copperhead Snake: The Copperhead snake is extremely poisonous. The Bush Viper is also extremely dangerous when older, but only has a very similar coloring when young. Hence, the viper is still dangerous when young, just not to the same extent as when it is older and changes colors.
[edit] Mimicry and convergent evolution
It is commonly assumed that mimicry evolves as a positive adaptation; that is, the mimic gains fitness via convergent evolution which results in resemblance to another species. However, there is some debate over whether such evolution is adaptive or merely a result of structural similarities. E.g., the lepidopterist (and sometime author) Vladimir Nobokov argued that much of insect mimicry, including the Viceroy/Monarch mimicry, resulted from the fact that coloration patterns in both species simply had a common structural basis, and thus the tendency to convergence by chance was very high.[1]
[edit] See also
Topics in evolutionary ecology
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| Patterns of evolution: Convergent evolution | Evolutionary relay | Parallel evolution |
| Colour and shape: Aposematism | Mimicry | Crypsis |
| Interactions between species: Mutualism | Cooperation | Predation | Parasitism |
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