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The evolutionary stability of automimicry.
Thomas Owens Svennungsen1, Oistein Haugsten Holen
1Department of Biology, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), University of Oslo, PO Box 1066 Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway. t.o.svennungsen@bio.uio.no
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|June 15, 2007
Summary
Automimicry, where prey gain protection by resembling defended neighbors, can be evolutionarily stable even with continuous traits. This challenges the idea that such defense strategies are only temporary phenomena in nature.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Ecology
- Population Genetics
Background:
- Internal defenses like toxins are costly and undetectable from afar.
- Well-defended prey populations risk invasion by 'cheater' mutants exploiting automimicry.
- Existing theory suggests continuous defense traits may destabilize automimicry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the evolutionary stability of automimicry with continuous defense traits.
- To determine conditions under which automimicry can be an evolutionarily stable strategy.
- To explore the implications for variation in prey defense levels.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical modeling of evolutionary game theory.
- Analysis of defense trait evolution using a geometric approach.
- Examination of trade-off curves to assess stability conditions.
Main Results:
- Automimicry can be evolutionarily stable for continuous defense traits.
- Stable automimicry can evolve under a broad range of ecological conditions.
- A geometric method predicts the possibility of stable defense dimorphisms.
Conclusions:
- Automimicry is not necessarily a transitory phenomenon for continuous traits.
- The study provides a framework for understanding the persistence of automimicry.
- Ecological factors significantly influence the evolution and stability of prey defense strategies.
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