1 / 12

Understanding Mimicry and Natural Selection in Evolution

This exploration into natural selection highlights its three essential components: variation, heredity, and selection, which dictate how biological traits evolve within populations. The concept of mimicry is defined, detailing its adaptive advantages through examples such as the flower fly and the spicebush swallowtail. We discuss how mimics, resembling other species, gain fitness benefits and how predator populations may adapt in response to these strategies. Strategies for foraging in predator-prey dynamics are also examined, emphasizing the importance of evolutionary adaptations in survival and reproduction.

oceana
Download Presentation

Understanding Mimicry and Natural Selection in Evolution

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Hiding in plain sight Kate & Michael April 11, 2012

  2. Evolution by natural selection • Natural selection • Gradual nonrandom process by which biological traits become more/less common in a population due to differential reproduction

  3. Three components of natural selection • Variation – traits are variable within populations • Heredity – traits are heritable across generations • Selection – traits affect fitness (ability to survive and reproduce)

  4. What is mimicry?

  5. Definitions • Mimic – a species that experiences increased fitnessby resembling another species • Model – the species being mimicked • Dupe – the species being “duped” by the mimic

  6. Examples • flower fly bee  wasp  • flower fly

  7. Examples • Spicebush swallowtail

  8. Examples “Red on black, friend of Jack. Red on yellow, kill a fellow.”

  9. Examples • Acoustic mimicry in tiger moths

  10. Examples • Mimic octopus (Thaumoctopusmimicus)

  11. Mimicry as an evolutionary strategy • Why is mimicry adaptive? • Would mimics have a different reproductive success than non-mimics? • How do you think predator populations might respond over time? • What happens when mimics outnumber their models? • Density-dependence

  12. You are a population of predators • Your prey = “Easter egg” species • Green morph • Orange morph (mimic) • Model = “Toxic” orange egg species • Cause you to become ill (Freeze for 10 seconds!) • You die if you get 3 • What are some possible foraging strategies you could use?

More Related