Survival benefits in mimicry: a quantitative framework

Mikaberidze, A. and Haque, M. (2009) Survival benefits in mimicry: a quantitative framework. Journal of Theoretical Biology, 259 (3). pp. 462-468. ISSN 0022-5193 doi: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2009.02.024

Abstract/Summary

Mimicry is a resemblance between species that benefits at least one of the species. It is a ubiquitous evolutionary phenomenon particularly common among prey species, in which case the advantage involves better protection from predation. We formulate a mathematical description of mimicry among prey species, to investigate benefits and disadvantages of mimicry. The basic setup involves differential equations for quantities representing predator behavior, namely, the probabilities for attacking prey at the next encounter. Using this framework, we present new quantitative results, and also provide a unified description of a significant fraction of the quantitative mimicry literature. The new results include `temporary' mutualism between prey species, and an optimal density at which the survival benefit is greatest for the mimic. The formalism leads naturally to extensions in several directions, such as the evolution of mimicry, the interplay of mimicry with population dynamics, etc. We demonstrate this extensibility by presenting some explorations on spatiotemporal pattern dynamics.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/91225
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/j.jtbi.2009.02.024
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	No Reading authors. Back catalogue items Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development > Department of Crop Science
Publisher	Elsevier
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