Why and how to apply Weber's Law to coevolution and mimicry
dc.contributor.author | Dixit, T | |
dc.contributor.author | Caves, EM | |
dc.contributor.author | Spottiswoode, CM | |
dc.contributor.author | Horrocks, NPC | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2021-06-16T10:21:58Z | |
dc.date.issued | 2021-06-24 | |
dc.description.abstract | In mimicry systems, receivers discriminate between the stimuli of models and mimics. Weber’s Law of proportional processing states that receiver discrimination is based on proportional, not absolute, differences between stimuli. Weber’s Law operates in a variety of taxa and modalities, yet it has largely been ignored in the context of mimicry, despite its potential relevance to whether receivers can discriminate models from mimics. Specifically, Weber’s Law implies that for a given difference in stimulus magnitude between a model and mimic, as stimulus magnitudes increase, the mimic will be less discriminable from their model. This implies that mimics should benefit when stimulus magnitudes are high, and that high stimulus magnitudes will reduce selection for mimetic fidelity. Whether models benefit from high stimulus magnitudes depends on whether mimicry is honest or deceptive. We present four testable predictions about evolutionary trajectories of models and mimics based on this logic. We then provide a framework for testing whether receiver discrimination adheres to Weber’s Law and illustrate it using coevolutionary examples and case studies from avian brood parasitism. We conclude that, when studying mimicry systems, researchers should consider whether receiver perception conforms to Weber’s Law, since it could drive stimulus evolution in counterintuitive directions | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | European Union Horizon 2020 | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | European Research Council (ERC) | en_GB |
dc.description.sponsorship | University of Cambridge | |
dc.identifier.citation | Published online 24 June 2021 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.doi | 10.1111/evo.14290 | |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | 793454 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | BB/J014109/1 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.grantnumber | 725185 | en_GB |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10871/126080 | |
dc.language.iso | en | en_GB |
dc.publisher | Wiley / Society for the Study of Evolution | en_GB |
dc.rights | © 2021 The Authors. Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited | |
dc.subject | proportional processing | en_GB |
dc.subject | coevolution | en_GB |
dc.subject | mimicry | en_GB |
dc.subject | receiver perception | en_GB |
dc.subject | avian brood parasitism | en_GB |
dc.subject | stimulus magnitude | en_GB |
dc.title | Why and how to apply Weber's Law to coevolution and mimicry | en_GB |
dc.type | Article | en_GB |
dc.date.available | 2021-06-16T10:21:58Z | |
dc.identifier.issn | 0014-3820 | |
dc.identifier.issn | 1558-5646 | |
dc.description | This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this record | en_GB |
dc.description | We will not be archiving data because this manuscript does not use data. | en_GB |
dc.identifier.journal | Evolution | en_GB |
dc.rights.uri | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | en_GB |
dcterms.dateAccepted | 2021-06-06 | |
exeter.funder | ::European Commission | en_GB |
rioxxterms.version | VoR | en_GB |
rioxxterms.licenseref.startdate | 2021-06-06 | |
rioxxterms.type | Journal Article/Review | en_GB |
refterms.dateFCD | 2021-06-16T09:27:53Z | |
refterms.versionFCD | AM | |
refterms.dateFOA | 2021-07-01T14:46:30Z | |
refterms.panel | A | en_GB |
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's licence is described as © 2021 The Authors. Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Society for the Study of Evolution.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original
work is properly cited