Is temporal synchrony necessary for effective Batesian mimicry?

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Behavioral Ecology

Background:

• Batesian mimicry involves palatable species resembling toxic ones to deter predators.
• Mechanisms maintaining mimicry, particularly predator learning and prey phenology, are not fully understood.
• Previous observations suggest temporal synchrony and model first occurrence are important in mimicry systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally test if predator foraging decisions drive the evolution of prey phenology in mimicry complexes.
• To investigate the importance of temporal synchrony and model first occurrence for mimic protection.
• To determine if learned avoidance of aposematic models benefits Batesian mimics.

Main Methods:

• Used phenotypically accurate butterfly replicas of the model species *Battus philenor* and mimic species *Limenitis arthemis astyanax*.
• Measured predation rates on replicas under four different phenological conditions.
• Manipulated temporal synchrony and model first occurrence to simulate natural predator-prey interactions.

Main Results:

• Asynchronous model first occurrence, even on short timescales, did not increase mimic protection.
• Mimics received protection solely under conditions of temporal synchrony with the model.
• Predator avoidance of the model did not persist over time in the model's absence.

Conclusions:

• Temporal synchrony is crucial for predator-prey interactions in Batesian mimicry.
• Predators rely on current environmental cues (i.e., simultaneous presence of model and mimic) rather than learned avoidance from past encounters.
• These findings suggest that predator foraging decisions, driven by immediate information, shape the phenological evolution of mimicry complexes.