Mapping the adaptive landscape of Batesian mimicry using 3D-printed stimuli.

ABSTRACT: In a classic example of adaptation, harmless Batesian mimics gain protection from predators through resemblance to one or more unpalatable models^1,2. Mimics vary greatly in accuracy, and explaining the persistence of inaccurate mimics is an ongoing challenge for evolutionary biologists^3,4. Empirical testing of existing hypotheses is constrained by the difficulty of assessing the fitness of phenotypes absent among extant species, leaving large parts of the adaptive landscape unexplored⁵-a problem affecting the study of the evolution of most complex traits. Here, to address this, we created mimetic phenotypes that occupy hypothetical areas of trait space by morphing between 3D images of real insects (flies and wasps), and tested the responses of real predator

SUBMITTER: Taylor CH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12367557 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature