biotic relationships - part 2 mimicry and camouflage
TRANSCRIPT
Contents
5 Preface 6 In case of automimicry the deceived signal is another organism,
such as a common predator 7 More examples of butterfly automimicry
8 Caterpillars mimicking snakes illustrate Batesian mimicry and protective coloration – Hemeroplanes triptolemus
9 Aposematic signals as honest indications to warn predators off 10 Heliconius butterflies form a whole bunch of Müllerian and
Batesian ‘tiger’ mimicry rings 11 The black-and-yellow coloration of bees and wasps warns the 3rd
party of inedible qualities 12 Batesian high school cartoon and coral snakes
13 Müllerian ring of flatworms, nudibranchs end sea cucumbers displaying similar shapes and colours
14 Camouflaged at rest, blue-ringed octopuses flash in an aposematic warning display when harassed
15 The blacksaddled filefish gains protection from predators by imitating the toxic saddled puffer
16 False cleaner fish mimic the dance and appearance of bleustreak cleaner wrasses
17 Other aggressive forms of mimicry – mantises as sweet masters of disguise
Contents
18 The camouflage of the orchid mantis deceives predators as well as serving as aggressive mimicry
19 Reflecting UV and contrasting the UV-absorbing bull’s-eye of daisies, crab spiders wait in ambush for prey
20 Chlorobalius leucoviridis katydids attract male cicadas acoustically by imitating the female wing click replies
21 Caterpillars of mountain alcon blue butterflies (VU) learn to speak as ants and mimic the ant queen
22 Distasteful tiger moths jam the sonar of bats leaving them a chance of finding a more tasteful snack
23 Femme fatales fireflies engage in aggressive mimicry imitating the signals of other fireflies species’ females
24 Brood parasitism and egg mimicry 25 Flower mimicry – orchids inducing males to pseudocopulate
leaving them unrewarded and yellow-horned 26 Other forms of mimicry in plant kingdom
I am a rock – amazing Lithops sp. 27 Mimesis or masquerade - Leaf-tailed geckos in Madagascar 28 The giant prickly stick insects eggs even look like ant’s food
29 Arthropods in several different groups engage in myrmecomorphy or ant mimicry
Contents
30 Tactile and motion mimicry in an ant’s nest 31 Cryptic animals blend with the backgrond making them hard to
see 32 Though draco lizards are perfectly camouflaged by crypsis and
disruptive coloration … 33 When the prey has got no clue where the predator is
34 Grey eastern screech owls are remarkably camouflaged blending with the bark of hardwood trees
35 Cryptic resemblance to lichen thallus growth
36 How the zebra earned its stripes – disruptive coloration and motion dazzle
37 Pelagic tactics – transparent marine larvae and herrings made invisible by countershading and silvering
38 Caddis fly larvae decorate themselves with twigs, or pieces of shell to conceal the features of their bodies
39 Changeable colour - Arctic foxes adapt seasonally to their surroundings
40 Changeable skin patterns and colour for camouflage and social signaling – Jackson’s chameleon
41 Cryptical behaviour - Leafy sea dragons sway as if rippled by water currents
42 - 48 Credits
P Preface
… means that you will open a video link
The parts of ‘Biotic Relationships’ of which ‘Mimicry and camouflage’ is the second, provide applications,
elaborations and illustrations with a minimal explanation
Be guided by the frame the several links draw – be inspired by the main chapter ‘Biotische Relaties’ or enjoy
the visual material
The credits are available after the last slide
If endangered the conservation status according to IUCN of the reviewed animals is mentioned
In case of automimicry the deceived signal is another organism, such as a common predator
The pattern on the wings of Caligo memnon resemble the head of a predator like a snake or an owl, making attackers shrink back
The fitness of the mimic increases whereas the dupe’s is indifferent
More examples of butterfly automimicry
A scary predator?
Caterpillars mimicking snakes illustrate Batesian mimicry and protective coloration – Hemeroplanes triptolemus
A scary predator?
Aposematic signals as honest indications to warn
predators off
The hornet moth (Sesia apiformes) is a Batesian mimic of, and may be confused with, the real hornet (Vespa crabro)
Heliconius butterflies form a whole bunch of Müllerian and Batesian ‘tiger’ mimicry rings
Heliconius butterflies are Müllerian mimics of one another and are involved in mimicry with species from other tribes or families
H. pardalinus (2) is a perfect mirror image of Melinaea menophilus (4)
By mimicking the poisonous cousins, Heliconius butterflies are safer from the gaze of predators so selection favours these preset patterns
The black-and-yellow coloration of bees and wasps warns the 3rd party of inedible qualities
You don’t have to be bit by a bee, a wasp and a hornet to realize that yellow and black bands are bad
Batesian high school cartoon and coral snakes
The harmless milk snake (Lampropeltis triangulum), the moderately toxic false coral snakes (Erythrolamprus sp.) and the deadly coral snakes (Micrurus sp.) form a mimicry ring; the milk snakes and Micrurus being the mimics, the false coral snakes being models
Deadly prey mimicking less dangerous species is Mertensian mimicry
Phylidiidae are of the few sea slugs crawling out during daytime P. coelestis, being noxious through distasteful chemicals from the
sponges the feed on, and Bohadschia graeffei, a sea cucumber mimic
Müllerian ring of flatworms, nudibranchs end sea cucumbers displaying similar shapes and colours
Hapalochlaena sp. can simultaneously flash its rings using neurally controlled pigmented chromatophores as well as structural light
reflectors in as little as 0,3 seconds
Camouflaged at rest, blue-ringed octopuses flash in an aposematic warning display when harassed
Hapalochlaena maculosa
Paraluteres prionurus (left), a Batesian mimic of Canthigaster valentini (right), Philippines
Schooling together, the difference in their dorsal fins are the best way to tell them apart
The blacksaddled filefish gains protection from predators by imitating the toxic saddled puffer
Bold longitudinal stripes of cleaner wrasses (Labroides sp.) enables fish to easily recognize them as their friends
Motion as a mimic behaviour has largely been ignored
False cleaner fish mimic the dance and appearance of bleustreak cleaner wrasses
Pharaoh cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis) False cleanerfish (Aspidontus taeniatus)
In presence of prey, the devil’s flower mantis (Idolomantis diabolica), impersonating a flower, remains motionless
Scaring off predators with wing and front leg display, it seduces airborne insects into its striking zone
Other aggressive forms of mimicry – mantises as sweet masters of disguise
The orchid mantis (Hymenopus coronatus) climbs up a twig of a Phalaenopsis orchid until it finds one that has flowers
A small black spot on the abdomen lures its prey by resembling a fly
The camouflage of the orchid mantis deceives predators as well as serving as aggressive mimicry
Honeybees, an introduced species in Australia, prefer a flower with a crab spider (Thomisidae) over one with no
spider given the fact that the spider reflects in the UV range Argiopa argentata uses UV-zigzags in its web to lure its prey
Reflecting UV and contrasting the UV-absorbing bull’s-eye of daisies, crab spiders wait in ambush for prey
Sonograms show Chlorobalius leucoviridis click replies (‘R’)
produced in response to cues (‘C) of songs of 14 Cicadettini species
Chlorobalius leucoviridis katydids attract male cicadas acoustically by imitating the female wing click replies
Caterpillars of mountain alcon blue butterflies (VU) learn to speak as ants and mimic the ant queen
Phengaris rebeli carried by a slave Myrmica schencki ant
Not only the language is imitated, but so are the ant pheromones and smell – but there are risks!
Distasteful tiger moths (Cycnia tenera) jam the sonar of bats leaving them a chance of finding a more tasteful snack
This acoustic aposematism is a form of Müllerian mimicry of the moths who advertise with thoracic tymbal clicks of 4500 bps that
they are toxic and benefit by living to see another day
Femme fatales fireflies engage in aggressive mimicry imitating the signals of other fireflies species’ females
Photuris sp. use flash signals to lure in males of other species Attracted by this visible courtship signal, Photinus males are
unsuspiciously devoured
Brood parasitism and egg mimicry
Females of European common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) specialize on parasitizing particular host species by laying an
egg-morph whose color and size match closely host eggs Scientist still investigate how the female cuckoo “knows” which
nest to lay its eggs in
Flower mimicry – orchids inducing males to pseudocopulate leaving them unrewarded and yellow-horned
Long-horned bee (Eucera longicornis), Ophrys fuciflora The orchid world is full of violence, sex and lies!
Other forms of mimicry in plant kingdom I am a rock – amazing Lithops sp.
Other forms include the egg dummies of Passiflora sp. to deter Heliconius butterflies to lay eggs, Vavilovian rye in
wheat, or the resemblance of deadnettles to stinging ones
Mimesis or masquerade Leaf-tailed geckos (Uroplatus sp.) in Madagascar
In mimesis, common in prey animals and also employed by some predators for example flower mantises, the animal looks like something else which is of no special interest of the observer
The giant prickly stick insects (Extatosoma tiaratum) eggs even look like ant’s food
In addition the newly hatched nymphs are ant mimics and resemble the insects in whose nest they were born
Arthropods in several different groups engage in myrmecomorphy or ant mimicry
Myrmarachne jumping spiders are aggressive Batesian mimics avoiding predators by resembling ants, but they also feast on
the eggs and youngsters of the very same spiders
Tactile and motion mimicry in an ant’s nest
Unless the ant-loving cricket Myrmecophilus acervorum adopts the fragrance and the walk of ants in whose nest they intruded
it will be cut in pieces and gain no protection
Cryptic animals blend with the background making them hard to see
Can you spot the fiery-necked nightjar? (Caprimulgus pectoralis)
Though draco lizards (Draco volans) are perfectly camouflaged by crypsis and disruptive coloration …
… they have another very effective antipredator technique
When the prey has got no clue where the predator is
You do not want to be stopped by a leopard (Panthera pardus, NT IUCN 2012) launching a surprise attack
Grey eastern screech owls (Megascops asio) are remarkably camouflaged blending with the bark of hardwood trees
The tawny owl’s (Strix aluco) plumage dappled with buff is perfect for roosting in trees during the daytime
Cryptic resemblance to lichen thallus growth
Lichen katydid Markia hystrix, Western South America
How the zebra (Equus zebra) earned its stripes – disruptive coloration and motion dazzle
The black and white vision of lions (Panthera leo – VU IUCN 2012) makes everything blend in together leaving them dazed and confused
Pelagic tactics – transparent marine larvae and herrings made invisible by countershading and silvering
’Animals are painted by Nature, darkest on those parts which tend to be most lighted by the sky’s light, and vice versa’ A. Thayer 1896
Countershading is widely used by terrestrial animals such as gazelles and grasshoppers, or marine animals such as sharks and dolphins
Caddis fly larvae decorate themselves with twigs, or pieces of shell to conceal the features of their bodies
These underwater architects bear the true spirit of recycling
Changeable colour - Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) adapt seasonally to their surroundings
Changeable skin patterns and colour for camouflage and social signaling – Jackson’s chameleon (Trioceros jacksonii)
Spiny-flanked chameleon (Triocerops laterispinis), Tanzania, EN IUCN 2012
How does a chameleon paint its passion on its body? Panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis)
Cryptical behaviour - Leafy sea dragons (Phycodurus eques NT IUCN 2012) sway as if rippled by water currents
Credits
6: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimicry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p2k0B5Zk3s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owl_butterfly http://www.gbif.org/species/1918150
7, 8: http://www.slideshare.net/sciencepowerpointcom/mimicry-lesson-
powerpoint-animals-environment?qid=c744ddf0-6aac-4ba3-b1e3-7b3e47c8f27f&v=default&b=&from_search=6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzIlT2PlbaM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPjbR5_ahmc
9: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aposematism
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MC5OBblol0 http://www.pbase.com/klaasvanhaeringen/image/135601493
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_hornet https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoornaarsvlinder
10: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DisHiDsRn1g
https://cadra.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/butterfly-mimicry-rings-a-case-of-natural-selection/comment-page-1/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heliconius
11: http://thewannabescientist.com/tag/bees/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFQoth5BtR4
12: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mimicry https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujxiU8xje8Y
Credits
13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwlfRJGqaBw https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aposematism
http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/mimicry http://what-when-how.com/protostomes/behavior/ http://www.rzuser.uni-
heidelberg.de/~bu6/Introduction06.html
14: http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=403 http://jeb.biologists.org/content/215/21/3752.full.pdf
http://www.arkive.org/southern-blue-ringed-octopus/hapalochlaena-maculosa/image-G83621.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNxJwCGJtsA
15: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NRHlv06cUM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blacksaddle_filefish
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentinni%27s_sharpnose_puffer https://www.flickr.com/photos/the_three_p_romblon/4714882180/
16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1JMkPi3_oE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_cleanerfish https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labroides
17: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idolomantis_diabolica
http://www.zooschule-rheinberg.de/gallery3/index.php/terrazoo/tiere/invertebrata/insectia/mantida
e/gottesanbeterin_7975 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wleok1ewP8
Credits
18: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHJMhNrde8w https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenopus_coronatus
http://www.isopoda.net/photo-stories/short-photo-stories/46-the-orchid-mantis
19: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5vvA_vCsOA
http://bio.mq.edu.au/research/groups/cheng_lab/kcheng/crabspider.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomisidae
http://snailseyeview.blogspot.be/2013/09/getting-hang-of-camouflage.html https://www.flickr.com/photos/nickadel/sets/72157642356572583
http://bio.mq.edu.au/research/groups/cheng_lab/kcheng/HelingBehav06.pdf
20: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0004185 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Versatile-Aggressive-Mimicry-of-
Cicadas-by-an-Australian-Predatory-Katydid-pone.0004185.s001.ogv
21: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phengaris_rebeli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tewqJDAnxs https://ferrebeekeeper.wordpress.com/tag/ant/
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ckk3o_myrmica-schencki-and-phengaris-rebeli_school https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myrmica_schencki
Credits
22: http://www.scientificamerican.com/video/sonar-jamming-moths-hinder-hungry-b2013-09-25/ http://echolocation-physiology-
ansc3301.weebly.com/moths.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycnia_tenera
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-one-moth-species-can-jam-bats-sonar-systems-10208105/?no-ist
23: http://ase.tufts.edu/biology/firefly/ https://vimeo.com/108269175
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photuris
24: https://natureshalfacre.wordpress.com/birds-x/never-an-empty-nest-brood-parasites/ http://www.hfsp.org/frontier-science/awardees-
articles/how-avoid-being-spotted-pigments-help-cuckoo-eggs-blend-host-eggs http://www.arkive.org/cuckoo/cuculus-canorus/video-09a.html
25: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h8I3cqpgnA
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nico_bees_wasps/5821085410/in/photostream/lightbox/
26: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ofmJaZZS0WM/maxresdefault.jpg
http://www.wildfilmhistory.org/film/247/clip/748/Mimicry+in+the+plant+kingdom.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofmJaZZS0WM
27: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4dJA26nBso
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camouflage
Credits
28: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs1Xs3Eheag https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extatosoma_tiaratum
http://www.phasmes.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=21861
29: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2009/07/01/spider-mimics-ant-to-eat-spiders-and-avoid-being-eaten-by-spiders/#.VbXsH7UnNrY
http://www.harunyahya.com/en/Books/985/the-miracle-in-the-spider/chapter/3750 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTUxL_MI6gw
30: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant_mimicry
https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mierenkrekel http://www.biolib.cz/en/image/id234104/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxw1VKBhJxE
31: http://sensoryecology.com/people/jolyon-troscianko.html http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2565113/Can-YOU-spot-bird-
incredible-video-reveals-one-nature-s-best-camouflage.html
32: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxSGpCOtkSc https://www.flickr.com/photos/flickrascal/4774971834
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypsis
33: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7hTZjKmmZQ
http://theskunkpot.com/index.php/vanishing-act-by-photographer-art-wolfe-nature/
Credits
34: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2903571/Hiding-plain-sight-Amazing-Eastern-Screech-Owl-uses-power-camouflage-dodge-predators-
ambush-prey.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm9SoRir2XI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mQgFA1l9bM https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_screech_owl
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tawny_owl http://www.garden-birds.co.uk/birds/tawnyowl.htm
35: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHeiNTe6N9M
http://cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I0000EsOV1eK4hWI/s/750/750/Markia-hystrix-katydid.jpg
36: http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/other/videos/fooled-by-nature-
zebras-stripes/ http://marksgottheblues.blogspot.be/2012/02/optical-illusion-or-herd-of-zebras.html
37: http://www.arkive.org/atlantic-herring/clupea-harengus/image-
A12923.html http://www.arkive.org/atlantic-herring/clupea-harengus/video-00.html
38: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPqrNwBproM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLEuOmHBjgc http://www.abundantnature.com/2013/02/winter-aquatic-life-in-a-boiling-
sand-spring.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caddisfly
Credits
39: http://goodnature.nathab.com/live-from-churchill-october-26-2009/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_fox
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/fox_arctic
40: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NKS-C0RwUk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson%27s_chameleon
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/lizard-classifieds/924143-trioceros-laterispinis-very-rare.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiny-
flanked_chameleon http://animals.howstuffworks.com/28369-fooled-by-nature-chameleon-colors-video.htm
41: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leafy_seadragon
http://www.arkive.org/leafy-seadragon/phycodurus-eques/image-G108745.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuI4ncViU4Y
Background: http://heartpeep.com/tag/your/