Predator dependent mimetic complexes: Do passerine birds avoid Central European red-and-black Heteroptera?
True bugs are generally considered to be well protected against bird predation. Sympatric species that have similar warning coloration are supposed to form a functional Müllerian mimetic complex avoided by visually oriented avian predators. We have tested whether these assumptions hold true for four...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Science
2010-07-01
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| Series: | European Journal of Entomology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.eje.cz/artkey/eje-201003-0008_Predator_dependent_mimetic_complexes_Do_passerine_birds_avoid_Central_European_red-and-black_Heteroptera.php |
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| author | Kateřina HOTOVÁ SVÁDOVÁ Alice EXNEROVÁ Michala KOPEČKOVÁ Pavel ŠTYS |
| author_facet | Kateřina HOTOVÁ SVÁDOVÁ Alice EXNEROVÁ Michala KOPEČKOVÁ Pavel ŠTYS |
| author_sort | Kateřina HOTOVÁ SVÁDOVÁ |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | True bugs are generally considered to be well protected against bird predation. Sympatric species that have similar warning coloration are supposed to form a functional Müllerian mimetic complex avoided by visually oriented avian predators. We have tested whether these assumptions hold true for four species of European red-and-black heteropterans, viz. Pyrrhocoris apterus, Lygaeus equestris, Spilostethus saxatilis, and Graphosoma lineatum. We found that individual species of passerine birds differ in their responses towards particular bug species. Great tits (Parus major) avoided all of them on sight, robins (Erithacus rubecula) and yellowhammers (Emberiza citrinella) discriminated among them and attacked bugs of some species with higher probability than others, and blackbirds (Turdus merula) frequently attacked bugs of all the tested species. Different predators thus perceive aposematic prey differently, and the extent of Batesian-Müllerian mimetic complexes and relations among the species involved is predator dependent. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T12:03:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-3a16deceef8145a39fcff68f3e8d900b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1210-5759 1802-8829 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T12:03:54Z |
| publishDate | 2010-07-01 |
| publisher | Institute of Entomology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Science |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of Entomology |
| spelling | doaj.art-3a16deceef8145a39fcff68f3e8d900b2022-12-21T23:47:00ZengInstitute of Entomology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of ScienceEuropean Journal of Entomology1210-57591802-88292010-07-01107334935510.14411/eje.2010.044eje-201003-0008Predator dependent mimetic complexes: Do passerine birds avoid Central European red-and-black Heteroptera?Kateřina HOTOVÁ SVÁDOVÁ0Alice EXNEROVÁ1Michala KOPEČKOVÁ2Pavel ŠTYS3Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 44 Praha 2, Czech Republic; e-mails:Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 44 Praha 2, Czech Republic; e-mails:Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 44 Praha 2, Czech Republic; e-mails:Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, CZ-128 44 Praha 2, Czech Republic; e-mails:True bugs are generally considered to be well protected against bird predation. Sympatric species that have similar warning coloration are supposed to form a functional Müllerian mimetic complex avoided by visually oriented avian predators. We have tested whether these assumptions hold true for four species of European red-and-black heteropterans, viz. Pyrrhocoris apterus, Lygaeus equestris, Spilostethus saxatilis, and Graphosoma lineatum. We found that individual species of passerine birds differ in their responses towards particular bug species. Great tits (Parus major) avoided all of them on sight, robins (Erithacus rubecula) and yellowhammers (Emberiza citrinella) discriminated among them and attacked bugs of some species with higher probability than others, and blackbirds (Turdus merula) frequently attacked bugs of all the tested species. Different predators thus perceive aposematic prey differently, and the extent of Batesian-Müllerian mimetic complexes and relations among the species involved is predator dependent.https://www.eje.cz/artkey/eje-201003-0008_Predator_dependent_mimetic_complexes_Do_passerine_birds_avoid_Central_European_red-and-black_Heteroptera.phpaposematismtrue bugsheteropteraavian predatorsmimetic complex |
| spellingShingle | Kateřina HOTOVÁ SVÁDOVÁ Alice EXNEROVÁ Michala KOPEČKOVÁ Pavel ŠTYS Predator dependent mimetic complexes: Do passerine birds avoid Central European red-and-black Heteroptera? European Journal of Entomology aposematism true bugs heteroptera avian predators mimetic complex |
| title | Predator dependent mimetic complexes: Do passerine birds avoid Central European red-and-black Heteroptera? |
| title_full | Predator dependent mimetic complexes: Do passerine birds avoid Central European red-and-black Heteroptera? |
| title_fullStr | Predator dependent mimetic complexes: Do passerine birds avoid Central European red-and-black Heteroptera? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Predator dependent mimetic complexes: Do passerine birds avoid Central European red-and-black Heteroptera? |
| title_short | Predator dependent mimetic complexes: Do passerine birds avoid Central European red-and-black Heteroptera? |
| title_sort | predator dependent mimetic complexes do passerine birds avoid central european red and black heteroptera |
| topic | aposematism true bugs heteroptera avian predators mimetic complex |
| url | https://www.eje.cz/artkey/eje-201003-0008_Predator_dependent_mimetic_complexes_Do_passerine_birds_avoid_Central_European_red-and-black_Heteroptera.php |
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