Sensory discrimination and the incipient advantage of mutations.
Perception follows logarithmic or power functions, rather than linear functions, of stimulus intensity. A small increment in stimulus strength can be sufficient to elicit discrimination between individuals of different phenotypes when the initial stimulus magnitude is near zero. This may confer an incipient advantage to the mutation that caused it. The psychophysics of signal receivers may be a good predictor of the extent of phenotypic changes. For example, slight similarities in color of Batesian mimics to their distasteful model can be sufficient to cause predators to reject the mimics. Color changes produced by single mutations in incipient Batesian mimics should be more extensive in mimicry complexes where the predators are less sensitive to color differences.
Genoni
G P
GP
Department of Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville 32611.
D000818:Animals; D002080:Butterflies; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology; D009154:Mutation; D010465:Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology*