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| Fig. 1 model 與 mimic的分佈區域 |
摘要 [原文網址]
Few biological phenomena provide such an elegant and straightforward example of evolution by natural selection as color mimicry among unrelated organisms. By mimicking the appearance of a heavily defended aposematic species, members of a second species gain protection from predators and, potentially, enhanced fitness. Mimicking a preexisting warning advertisement is economical because a potentially costly novel one can be avoided; simultaneously, the addition of more aposematic individuals enhances the overall warning effect. The better-known mimetic systems comprise tropical taxa, but here, we show a remarkable example of color mimicry in 7 species of blind, cyanide-generating millipedes endemic to the Appalachian Mountains of temperate North America. Because these millipedes lack eyes, there is no sexual selection or intraspecific signaling for coloration, providing an ideal system for mimicry studies. We document a Müllerian symbiosis where unrelated species vary in color and pattern over geographical space but appear identical where they co-occur. By using spectral color data, estimations of evolutionary history, and detailed field observations of species abundance, we test 4 predictions of Müllerian mimicry theory and begin to unravel the story of an elaborate mimetic diversification in the forests of Appalachia.
這篇發在PNAS上。
一開始看到這篇，以為只是介紹個新發現的擬態群，然後居然發到PNAS上，好匪夷所思的事情，如果這樣的話，路邊隨便拍的的照片不就也可以寫了丟到PNAS上嗎？
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| Fig. 3 model與mimic的擬態相似度。 |
在搜尋文獻的時候，最常看到的是作者會寫「我認為這東西跟XX與YY物種是貝氏\穆氏擬態」，通常是作者覺得牠們長得像，不論其他條件，就是單純的牠們長得像，擬態就是作者說了算，而忽略了構成擬態必須要滿足某些擬態的條件，諸如共域、確認擬態環中扮演的角色與斑紋的相似度等等，這些雖然很基本，但很多文章忽略驗證要素。
作者群在阿帕拉契山發現了這個由馬陸構成的擬態群，接下來為了確認是些馬陸是否真的互相擬態，而去做以下的四種分析：
- 用光學模型驗證相似度是來自相似的光學訊號
- 長得像的不是因為親緣關係很近
- 數量較少的是擬態者，數量較多的是擬態模型
- 擬態者的斑紋區域變異跟隨擬態模型的區域變異
ps. 馬陸被認為會分泌氰化物，會使其他動物對其避忌。
Wrote by Chia-Hsuan Wei
