EAPSI: Investigating the Evolution of Mimicry in Swallowtail Butterflies through the Lens of Predation

EAPSI：从捕食的角度研究燕尾蝶拟态的进化

• 批准号: 1414798
• 负责人: Daniela Palmer
• 金额: $ 0.51万
• 依托单位: Palmer Daniela H
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-06-01 至 2015-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1414798&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAPSI; Investigating; Evolution; Mimicry; Swallowtail

Understanding the evolutionary origins and maintenance of biodiversity are leading questions in ecology and evolutionary biology. Batesian mimicry is a phenomenon where harmless species (mimics) imitate the warning signals of harmful species (models) to avoid predation. In response to predation, mimetic species may evolve multiple forms imitating distinct models. The butterfly Papilio polytes exhibits striking within-species diversity in its wing patterns by mimicking multiple toxic Pachliopta butterflies. To understand how the wing pattern diversity of P. polytes evolved in the context of avian predation, field experiments will be conducted to test how often P. polytes are attacked by predators relative to Pachliopta models. In addition, field surveys will be conducted to quantify the relative abundances of these species. The results of these studies will characterize the predation pressures are thought to favor polymorphic mimicry. This work will be done in Singapore, which lies within the natural ranges of both of these species, in collaboration with a leading butterfly wing pattern evolutionary biologist, Dr. Antónia Monteiro. Batesian mimicry favors the evolution of polymorphism (multiple distinct mimics) within a species due to negative frequency-dependent selection. The butterfly P. polytes is a polymorphic Batesian mimic that imitates the wing patterns of distantly related Pachliopta butterflies. Despite many theories on how polymorphic Batesian mimicry systems evolve, there exist few tests of relative predation on mimics and models and few surveys of their relative abundances. First relative predation on mimics and models by avian predators will be assessed using lab-fabricated butterfly replicas with varying wing patterns corresponding to P. polytes and Pachliopta morphology. Field surveys will be conducted to determine relative abundances of P. polytes and Pachliopta. These findings will provide new insights into the evolution of polymorphic Batesian mimicry. This NSF EAPSI award is funded in collaboration with the National Research Foundation of Singapore.

了解生物多样性的进化起源和维持是生态学和进化生物学的主要问题。生物拟态是指无害物种（拟态动物）模仿有害物种（模式动物）的警告信号以避免被捕食的现象。为了应对捕食，模仿物种可能会进化出模仿不同模型的多种形式。凤蝶通过模仿多种有毒的厚眼蝶属蝴蝶，其翅膀图案表现出惊人的物种内多样性。为了了解P. polytes的翅膀图案多样性如何在鸟类捕食的背景下进化，将进行野外实验，以测试P. polytes相对于Pachliopta模型被捕食者攻击的频率。此外，将进行实地调查，以量化这些物种的相对丰度。这些研究的结果将表征捕食压力被认为有利于多态拟态。这项工作将在新加坡进行，新加坡位于这两个物种的自然范围内，与领先的蝴蝶翅膀图案进化生物学家Antónia Monteiro博士合作。由于负频率依赖性选择，蝙蝠拟态有利于物种内多态性（多个不同的拟态）的进化。蝴蝶P. polytes是一种多态的拟巴氏蝴蝶，模仿远亲Pachliopta蝴蝶的翅膀图案。尽管有许多关于多态Baericum拟态系统如何演变的理论，存在一些测试的拟态和模型的相对捕食和他们的相对丰度很少调查。第一个相对捕食模拟和模型的鸟类捕食者将使用实验室制造的蝴蝶复制品与不同的翅膀模式对应的P. polytes和Pachliopta形态进行评估。将进行实地调查，以确定P. polytes和Pachliopta的相对丰度。这些发现将提供新的见解多态拟巴戟的进化。这个NSF EAPSI奖是与新加坡国家研究基金会合作资助的。