The evolution of startle displays: a case study in praying mantises.

ABSTRACT: Anti-predator defences are typically regarded as relatively static signals that conceal prey or advertise their unprofitability. However, startle displays are complex performances that deter or confuse predators and can include a spectacular array of movements, colours and sounds. Yet, we do not fully understand the mechanisms by which they function, their evolutionary correlates, or the conditions under which they are performed and evolve. Here, we present, to our knowledge, the first phylogenetically controlled comparative analyses of startle displays including behavioural data, using praying mantises as a model system. We included 58 species that provide a good representation of mantis diversity and estimated the strength of phylogenetic signal in the presence and complexity of displays

SUBMITTER: Vidal-Garcia M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7542774 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature