Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Predator-Prey Interactions02:39

Predator-Prey Interactions

20.6K
Predators consume prey for energy. Predators that acquire prey and prey that avoid predation both increase their chances of survival and reproduction (i.e., fitness). Routine predator-prey interactions elicit mutual adaptations that improve predator offenses, such as claws, teeth, and speed, as well as prey defenses, including crypsis, aposematism, and mimicry. Thus, predator-prey interactions resemble an evolutionary arms race.
20.6K
Nonconscious Mimicry01:13

Nonconscious Mimicry

5.0K
Nonconscious mimicry occurs when individuals alter their mannerisms to match the behaviors and expressions of those nearby, without intention.
5.0K
Frequency-dependent Selection01:21

Frequency-dependent Selection

22.8K
When the fitness of a trait is influenced by how common it is (i.e., its frequency) relative to different traits within a population, this is referred to as frequency-dependent selection. Frequency-dependent selection may occur between species or within a single species. This type of selection can either be positive—with more common phenotypes having higher fitness—or negative, with rarer phenotypes conferring increased fitness.
22.8K
Mate Choice01:20

Mate Choice

11.3K
Mate choice—the decision about whom to mate with—is a type of natural selection, since animals must reproduce to pass down their genes. Mate choice is also called intersexual selection because the behavior occurs between the sexes.
11.3K
Optimal Foraging00:48

Optimal Foraging

13.0K
How animals obtain and eat their food is called foraging behavior. Foraging can include searching for plants and hunting for prey and depends on the species and environment.
13.0K
Fixed Action Patterns01:06

Fixed Action Patterns

17.1K
A fixed action pattern (FAP) is a specific, hard-wired sequence of behaviors that occurs in response to an external stimulus, called a sign stimulus. The behavior is “fixed” because it is essentially unchangeable—proceeding similarly across individuals of a species every time it occurs.
17.1K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Hidden colour signals as key drivers in the evolution of anti-predator coloration and defensive behaviours in snakes.

Nature communications·2025
Same author

Similar Survival Rates of Territorial and Sneaker Males in a Polymorphic Damselfly: A Multi-Year Study.

Ecology and evolution·2025
Same author

Coevolutionary patterns between coloration and diel activity in moths.

Royal Society open science·2025
Same author

3D printing offers a way to study mimicry by insects.

Nature·2025
Same author

Bending the Course of Evolution: How Mutualistic Interactions Affect Macroevolutionary Dynamics of Diversification in Mimetic Ithomiini Butterflies.

The American naturalist·2025
Same author

Relative size matters: eyespots on large insect prey deter small arthropod predators.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 5, 2025

A Real-Time Interactive System for Studying Confrontational Pursuit Behavior in Rodents
06:25

A Real-Time Interactive System for Studying Confrontational Pursuit Behavior in Rodents

Published on: May 16, 2025

989

State-Dependent Decision-Making by Predators and Its Consequences for Mimicry.

Thomas G Aubier, Thomas N Sherratt

    The American Naturalist
    |October 16, 2020
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Predator hunger and learning significantly alter mimicry dynamics. Edible mimics face risks from naive predators, and even defended species

    Keywords:
    Bayesian inferencedynamic programingmutualismparasitismpredator cognitionquasi-Batesian mimicry

    More Related Videos

    A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae
    04:51

    A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae

    Published on: July 8, 2025

    532
    Recording Behavioral Responses to Reflection in Crayfish
    11:30

    Recording Behavioral Responses to Reflection in Crayfish

    Published on: May 14, 2010

    11.1K

    Related Experiment Videos

    Last Updated: Dec 5, 2025

    A Real-Time Interactive System for Studying Confrontational Pursuit Behavior in Rodents
    06:25

    A Real-Time Interactive System for Studying Confrontational Pursuit Behavior in Rodents

    Published on: May 16, 2025

    989
    A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae
    04:51

    A Modified Mirror Test as a Visual Guide for the Self-awareness Trait in Wild Antarctica Penguins, Pygoscelis adeliae

    Published on: July 8, 2025

    532
    Recording Behavioral Responses to Reflection in Crayfish
    11:30

    Recording Behavioral Responses to Reflection in Crayfish

    Published on: May 14, 2010

    11.1K

    Area of Science:

    • Evolutionary biology
    • Behavioral ecology
    • Predator-prey dynamics

    Background:

    • Mimicry, a key evolutionary adaptation, involves species resembling each other.
    • Batesian mimicry: edible species mimic defended ones; Müllerian mimicry: defended species share signals.
    • Predator foraging decisions are influenced by hunger and learning, impacting mimicry's effectiveness.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To develop optimal decision rules for predators considering both energetic (hunger) and informational (learning) states.
    • To investigate how these dual states affect the nature and extent of Batesian and Müllerian mimicry.
    • To re-evaluate the classification of mimicry types under varying ecological conditions.

    Main Methods:

    • Developed state-dependent models integrating predator energetic and informational states.
    • Analyzed predator decision-making rules based on hunger levels and associative learning.
    • Simulated predator-prey interactions to assess mimicry outcomes under different ecological contexts.

    Main Results:

    • Predator learning weakens Batesian mimicry as naive predators may attack defended models.
    • Mimicry between defended species can be parasitic or mutualistic, contingent on ecological factors like prey abundance.
    • Prey with intermediate defenses exhibit Batesian or Müllerian mimicry based on profitability to hungry predators.

    Conclusions:

    • Predator energetic and informational states are crucial determinants of mimicry evolution.
    • Existing mimicry classifications may not fully capture the complexity driven by predator learning and hunger.
    • Mimicry is a dynamic evolutionary process shaped by predator behavior and ecological context.