Meeting Abstract
Studying the evolutionary drivers of aposematism and mimicry is crucial for understanding the origins of phenotypic diversity. In particular, understanding how selection acts upon the signal components of mimicry can give insight into how and where mimicry will arise. Our research focuses on coral snake mimicry, where brightly colored and venomous coral snakes are imitated by harmless snakes. Previous research found that components of coral snake color pattern must be precise in edge sympatry, may be relaxed in deep sympatry, and may not convey a fitness advantage at all in allopatry. However, this research has focused on species-poor temperate systems, and thus we know relatively less about the evolution of signal components in the diverse tropics. We tested which mimetic signal components are important for deterring predation in sympatry and allopatry with coral snakes in a tropical cloud forest in Honduras. We placed plasticine models that were 1) brown 2) white and black 3) red and black 4) white, red, and black (mimetic) in habitats that were both sympatric and allopatric with coral snakes. We found that while overall attack rates on models were similar among localities, predatory attacks by birds, but not mammals, were highest at the two low elevation localities. While overall attack rates were similar among all models, models with either bands or red color were attacked with less frequency by birds, but not mammals, than other models at one low elevation site. These results lend insight into how geographic range and predator assemblages may alter selection for signal components of coral snake mimicry systems in the tropics. Ultimately, this work highlights the processes that generate and maintain phenotypic diversity.
