Alkaloid defenses of co-mimics in a putative Müllerian mimetic radiation

BMC Evolutionary Biology

Kyle Summers²  Pablo J Venegas³  Ralph A Saporito¹  Adam MM Stuckert² 

[1] Department of Biology, John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio 44118, USA;Department of Biology, East Carolina University, 1000 E. Fifth St, Greenville, NC 27858, USA;División de Herpetología-Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad (CORBIDI), Santa Rita N°105 Of. 202, Urb. Huertos de San Antonio, Surco, Lima, Perú

关键词: Ranitomeya imitator;    Polytypism;    Müllerian mimicry;    Dendrobatids;    Aposematism;    Alkaloids;   

Others  :  856805
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2148-14-76

 received in 2014-01-29, accepted in 2014-03-31,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

Polytypism in aposematic species is unlikely according to theory, but commonly seen in nature. Ranitomeya imitator is a poison frog species exhibiting polytypic mimicry of three congeneric model species (R. fantastica, R. summersi, and two morphs of R. variabilis) across four allopatric populations (a "mimetic radiation"). In order to investigate chemical defenses in this system, a key prediction of Müllerian mimicry, we analyzed the alkaloids of both models and mimics from four allopatric populations.

Results

In this study we demonstrate distinct differences in alkaloid profiles between co-mimetic species within allopatric populations. We further demonstrate that R. imitator has a greater number of distinct alkaloid types than the model species and more total alkaloids in all but one population.

Conclusions

Given that R. imitator is the more abundant species in these populations, R. imitator is likely driving the majority of predator-learned avoidance in these complexes. The success of Ranitomeya imitator as a putative advergent mimic may be a direct result of differences in alkaloid sequestration. Furthermore, we propose that automimicry within co-mimetic species is an important avenue of research.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Stuckert et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

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