Shape of Evasive Prey Can Be an Important Cue That Triggers Learning in Avian Predators
Advertising escape ability could reduce predatory attacks. However, the effectiveness of certain phenotypic cues (e.g., color, shape, and size) in signaling evasiveness is still unknown. Understanding the role of such signals in driving predator learning is important to infer the evolutionary mechan...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.910695/full |
| _version_ | 1811292628152483840 |
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| author | Daniel Linke Daniel Linke Marianne Elias Irena Klečková Johanna Mappes Pável Matos-Maraví |
| author_facet | Daniel Linke Daniel Linke Marianne Elias Irena Klečková Johanna Mappes Pável Matos-Maraví |
| author_sort | Daniel Linke |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Advertising escape ability could reduce predatory attacks. However, the effectiveness of certain phenotypic cues (e.g., color, shape, and size) in signaling evasiveness is still unknown. Understanding the role of such signals in driving predator learning is important to infer the evolutionary mechanisms leading to convergent evasiveness signals among prey species (i.e., evasive mimicry). We aim to understand the role of the color pattern (white patches on dark background) and morphology (extended butterfly hindwings) in driving learning and avoidance of escaping prey by surrogate avian predators, the European blue tit. These cues are common in butterflies and have been suspected to advertise escape ability in nature. We use dummy butterflies harboring shape and color patterns commonly found in skippers (family Hesperiidae). The prey models displayed the studied phenotypical cues (hindwing tails and white bands) in factorial combinations, and we tested whether those cues were learned as evasive signals and were generalised to different phenotypes. Our results suggest that hindwing tails and white bands can be associated with prey evasiveness. In addition, wild blue tits might learn and avoid attacking prey models bearing the studied phenotypic cues. Although blue tits seem to have an initial preference for the phenotype consisting of white patches and hindwing tails, the probability of attacking it was substantially reduced once the cues were associated with escaping ability. This suggests that the same morphological cues might be interchangeable as preference/avoidance signals. Further investigation of the salience of hindwing tails vs. white bands as cues for escaping ability, revealed that predators can associate both color pattern and shape to the difficulty of capture, and possibly generalize their aversion to other prey harboring those cues. More studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm this trend. Altogether, our results highlight the hitherto overlooked role of shape (butterfly hindwing tails) for signaling prey unprofitability. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T04:49:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-caaa134966984e5da39e6bbfbc0f19cc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-701X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T04:49:10Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-caaa134966984e5da39e6bbfbc0f19cc2022-12-22T03:01:46ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution2296-701X2022-07-011010.3389/fevo.2022.910695910695Shape of Evasive Prey Can Be an Important Cue That Triggers Learning in Avian PredatorsDaniel Linke0Daniel Linke1Marianne Elias2Irena Klečková3Johanna Mappes4Pável Matos-Maraví5Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS), Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, CzechiaDepartment of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, CzechiaInstitut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des Antilles, Paris, FranceBiology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS), Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, CzechiaOrganismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Program, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, FinlandBiology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS), Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, CzechiaAdvertising escape ability could reduce predatory attacks. However, the effectiveness of certain phenotypic cues (e.g., color, shape, and size) in signaling evasiveness is still unknown. Understanding the role of such signals in driving predator learning is important to infer the evolutionary mechanisms leading to convergent evasiveness signals among prey species (i.e., evasive mimicry). We aim to understand the role of the color pattern (white patches on dark background) and morphology (extended butterfly hindwings) in driving learning and avoidance of escaping prey by surrogate avian predators, the European blue tit. These cues are common in butterflies and have been suspected to advertise escape ability in nature. We use dummy butterflies harboring shape and color patterns commonly found in skippers (family Hesperiidae). The prey models displayed the studied phenotypical cues (hindwing tails and white bands) in factorial combinations, and we tested whether those cues were learned as evasive signals and were generalised to different phenotypes. Our results suggest that hindwing tails and white bands can be associated with prey evasiveness. In addition, wild blue tits might learn and avoid attacking prey models bearing the studied phenotypic cues. Although blue tits seem to have an initial preference for the phenotype consisting of white patches and hindwing tails, the probability of attacking it was substantially reduced once the cues were associated with escaping ability. This suggests that the same morphological cues might be interchangeable as preference/avoidance signals. Further investigation of the salience of hindwing tails vs. white bands as cues for escaping ability, revealed that predators can associate both color pattern and shape to the difficulty of capture, and possibly generalize their aversion to other prey harboring those cues. More studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm this trend. Altogether, our results highlight the hitherto overlooked role of shape (butterfly hindwing tails) for signaling prey unprofitability.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.910695/fullaposematismattack avoidanceconvergenceHesperiidaeprey selectionphenotypic cues |
| spellingShingle | Daniel Linke Daniel Linke Marianne Elias Irena Klečková Johanna Mappes Pável Matos-Maraví Shape of Evasive Prey Can Be an Important Cue That Triggers Learning in Avian Predators Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution aposematism attack avoidance convergence Hesperiidae prey selection phenotypic cues |
| title | Shape of Evasive Prey Can Be an Important Cue That Triggers Learning in Avian Predators |
| title_full | Shape of Evasive Prey Can Be an Important Cue That Triggers Learning in Avian Predators |
| title_fullStr | Shape of Evasive Prey Can Be an Important Cue That Triggers Learning in Avian Predators |
| title_full_unstemmed | Shape of Evasive Prey Can Be an Important Cue That Triggers Learning in Avian Predators |
| title_short | Shape of Evasive Prey Can Be an Important Cue That Triggers Learning in Avian Predators |
| title_sort | shape of evasive prey can be an important cue that triggers learning in avian predators |
| topic | aposematism attack avoidance convergence Hesperiidae prey selection phenotypic cues |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.910695/full |
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