Technical Definition of Batesian Mimicry
Sentence Definition
Batesian mimicry is an ecological phenomenon in which a harmless organism copies the physical appearance of a harmful or irritating organism in order to deter predators.
Origin and Use
Batesian mimicry is named after the English naturalist, H.W. Bates, who discovered the phenomenon in the 1800s (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2012). The term is used by ecologists when classifying and comparing similar looking organisms.
Examples Seen in Nature
Batesian mimicry is like hiding candy in a can of Spam so your friends won’t take it. For example, some types of harmless flies have yellow and black or brown and black stripes that resemble those of stinging insects like bees and wasps (Figure 1). Because the organisms look alike, predators are likely to avoid the harmless flies with the assumption that they can sting. Other examples of Batesian mimicry include some species of larvae using eyespots and coloring to mimic poisonous snakes, or certain butterflies and moths using eyespots on their wings to resemble predatory owls (North Dakota Game and Fish Department. (n.d.)). The importance of correctly classifying mimics was especially clear in a 1991 article by Ritland, D. B., & Brower, L. P.. In their article, they found that the viceroy butterfly, commonly thought to be a Batesian mimic of both Danaus plexippus (L.) and Danaus gilippus, was in fact a Mullerian mimic. By misclassifying this instance of mimicry, ecologists had missed key evolutionary relationships between the three species. Figure 1: The hoverfly mimics the yellow and black stripes of a honeybee (a stinging insect) to deter predators.[Hoverfly and Honeybee Batesian Mimicry]. (n.d.) Other Types of Mimicry Batesian mimicry is different from Mullerian mimicry, where both organisms being compared have harmful or irritating traits. Conversely, in Batesian mimicry, one of the organisms lacks such traits. Examples of Mullerian mimicry include viceroy butterflies and their counterparts, Danaus plexippus (L.) and Danaus gilippus, as mentioned above. These butterflies display similar color and patterning on their wings and all poisonous. Poison dart frogs are another example of mullerian mimicry, because multiple species of these frogs have bright colors and black markings on their skin that warn predators (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. (2012, May 28)). The advantage of Mullerian mimicry is that all species have a common warning sign and are harmful or irritating. …show more content…
Any time a predator encounters an organism displaying the warning, they will have a bad experience to associate with the warning. If a predator were to encounter a Batesian mimic, it wouldn't have an adverse reaction because only the organism it resembles is irritating. With Mullerian mimicry though, all organisms have to spend resources on being poisonous or otherwise irritating, while Batesian mimics can save resources through their imitation (Ritland, D. B., & Brower, L. P. (1991)).
Automimicry is another ecological phenomenon, where one end of an organism resembles the other. This is seen in some fish and insects that use this mimicry to trick predators into thinking the animal will retreat in the opposite direction when attacked. In this case, the organism mimics itself, rather than another more dangerous species as is the case in Batesian mimicry as seen in Figure 2 (North Dakota Game and Fish Department. (n.d.)). Figures 2 (upper left), 3 (upper right), and 4 (bottom): Fig. 2 This fish, named Chaetodon capistratus, uses an eyespot on
Sentence Definition
Batesian mimicry is an ecological phenomenon in which a harmless organism copies the physical appearance of a harmful or irritating organism in order to deter predators.
Origin and Use
Batesian mimicry is named after the English naturalist, H.W. Bates, who discovered the phenomenon in the 1800s (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2012). The term is used by ecologists when classifying and comparing similar looking organisms.
Examples Seen in Nature
Batesian mimicry is like hiding candy in a can of Spam so your friends won’t take it. For example, some types of harmless flies have yellow and black or brown and black stripes that resemble those of stinging insects like bees and wasps (Figure 1). Because the organisms look alike, predators are likely to avoid the harmless flies with the assumption that they can sting. Other examples of Batesian mimicry include some species of larvae using eyespots and coloring to mimic poisonous snakes, or certain butterflies and moths using eyespots on their wings to resemble predatory owls (North Dakota Game and Fish Department. (n.d.)). The importance of correctly classifying mimics was especially clear in a 1991 article by Ritland, D. B., & Brower, L. P.. In their article, they found that the viceroy butterfly, commonly thought to be a Batesian mimic of both Danaus plexippus (L.) and Danaus gilippus, was in fact a Mullerian mimic. By misclassifying this instance of mimicry, ecologists had missed key evolutionary relationships between the three species. Figure 1: The hoverfly mimics the yellow and black stripes of a honeybee (a stinging insect) to deter predators.[Hoverfly and Honeybee Batesian Mimicry]. (n.d.) Other Types of Mimicry Batesian mimicry is different from Mullerian mimicry, where both organisms being compared have harmful or irritating traits. Conversely, in Batesian mimicry, one of the organisms lacks such traits. Examples of Mullerian mimicry include viceroy butterflies and their counterparts, Danaus plexippus (L.) and Danaus gilippus, as mentioned above. These butterflies display similar color and patterning on their wings and all poisonous. Poison dart frogs are another example of mullerian mimicry, because multiple species of these frogs have bright colors and black markings on their skin that warn predators (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. (2012, May 28)). The advantage of Mullerian mimicry is that all species have a common warning sign and are harmful or irritating. …show more content…
Any time a predator encounters an organism displaying the warning, they will have a bad experience to associate with the warning. If a predator were to encounter a Batesian mimic, it wouldn't have an adverse reaction because only the organism it resembles is irritating. With Mullerian mimicry though, all organisms have to spend resources on being poisonous or otherwise irritating, while Batesian mimics can save resources through their imitation (Ritland, D. B., & Brower, L. P. (1991)).
Automimicry is another ecological phenomenon, where one end of an organism resembles the other. This is seen in some fish and insects that use this mimicry to trick predators into thinking the animal will retreat in the opposite direction when attacked. In this case, the organism mimics itself, rather than another more dangerous species as is the case in Batesian mimicry as seen in Figure 2 (North Dakota Game and Fish Department. (n.d.)). Figures 2 (upper left), 3 (upper right), and 4 (bottom): Fig. 2 This fish, named Chaetodon capistratus, uses an eyespot on