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Selection overrides gene flow to break down maladaptive mimicry

Abstract

Predators typically avoid dangerous species, and batesian mimicry evolves when a palatable species (the ‘mimic’) co-opts a warning signal from a dangerous species (the ‘model’) and thereby deceives its potential predators1,2. Because predators would not be under selection to avoid the model and any of its look-alikes in areas where the model is absent (that is, allopatry)2,3,4,5, batesian mimics should occur only in sympatry with their model. However, contrary to this expectation, batesian mimics often occur in allopatry6,7,8. Here we focus on one such example—a coral snake mimic3,8. Using indirect DNA-based methods, we provide evidence suggesting that mimics migrate from sympatry, where mimicry is favoured3,9, to allopatry, where it is disfavoured10. Such gene flow is much stronger in nuclear genes than in maternally inherited mitochondrial genes, indicating that dispersal by males may explain the presence of mimetic phenotypes in allopatry. Despite this gene flow, however, individuals from allopatry resemble the model less than do individuals from sympatry. We show that this breakdown of mimicry probably reflects predator-mediated selection acting against individuals expressing the more conspicuous mimetic phenotype in allopatry. Thus, although gene flow may explain why batesian mimics occur in allopatry, natural selection may often override such gene flow and promote the evolution of non-mimetic phenotypes in such areas.

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Figure 1: Gene flow among coral snake mimics.
Figure 2: Breakdown of mimicry.
Figure 3: Summary cladogram of North American Lampropeltis.
Figure 4: Haplotype network for the ‘Northern clade’ of L. t. elapsoides.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the museums and individuals listed in Supplementary Tables 2 and 4 for donating samples for the genetic and colour pattern analyses; M. Landstrom for measuring colour patterns; W. Van Devender for providing photographs in Figs 1a, b and 2a; and K. Pfennig, P. Marko, J. Wiens, A. Rice, R. Martin, C. Ledon-Rettig, J. Kingsolver, M. Servedio and D. Swofford for comments. Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation.

Author Contributions G.R.H. performed the genetic and morphological analyses and helped write the manuscript. D.W.P. designed the study, contributed to the interpretation of the data, and wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to David W. Pfennig.

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The file contains Supplementary Tables 1-4 and additional references. (PDF 420 kb)

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Harper Jr, G., Pfennig, D. Selection overrides gene flow to break down maladaptive mimicry. Nature 451, 1103–1106 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06532

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