6533b86efe1ef96bd12cc806
RESEARCH PRODUCT
Deimatism: a neglected component of antipredator defence
Johanna MappesThomas E. WhiteJussi LehtonenKate D. L. UmbersSebastiano De BonaJohn A. Endlersubject
0106 biological sciences0301 basic medicineEscape responseAposematismBiology010603 evolutionary biology01 natural sciences03 medical and health sciencespredator–preyEscape ReactionFundamental differenceComponent (UML)ReflexcamouflageAnimalsSurvival advantageaposematismstartle reflexCognitive scienceBehaviorEvolutionary BiologyBehavior AnimalAnimalEcologyBiological SciencesAcripezabiology.organism_classificationBiological EvolutionAgricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous)Sensory input030104 developmental biologywarning coloursAcripezaMimicryta1181Animal Behaviourpredator-preyGeneral Agricultural and Biological SciencesBiotechnologydescription
Deimatic or ‘startle’ displays cause a receiver to recoil reflexively in response to a sudden change in sensory input. Deimatism is sometimes implicitly treated as a form of aposematism (unprofitability associated with a signal). However, the fundamental difference is, in order to provide protection, deimatism does not require a predator to have any learned or innate aversion. Instead, deimatism can confer a survival advantage by exploiting existing neural mechanisms in a way that releases a reflexive response in the predator. We discuss the differences among deimatism, aposematism, and forms of mimicry, and their ecological and evolutionary implications. We highlight outstanding questions critical to progress in understanding deimatism.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-04-01 |