The Adaptiveness of Defence Behaviour

Question 1

The paper:

Answer 1

Prey survival by predator intimidation: an experimental study of peacock butterfly defence against blue tits. Vallin et al 2005

Question 2

specimen studied

Answer 2

peacock butterfly

Question 3

appearance when resting:

Answer 3

only dark ventral side of wings is shown and irregular wing margins = leaf appearance

Question 4

disturbed appearance:

Answer 4

open wings & expose bright coloured wing, four major eye spots and hissing noise (multimodal = benefit)

Question 5

Method:

Answer 5

Wild caught blue tits given 1/6 kinds of experimentally manipulated peacock butterflies

Question 6

6 kinds of butterflies

Answer 6

• eyespots coloured over
• no sound = wings cut
• no eyespots or sound
• control -> eyespots intact but coloured other part of wing
• control -> wings cut bu sound still intact
• contorl -> wings cut & colouring but sound and eyespots still intact

Question 7

Other study Blests

Answer 7

studied escape response from passerines, eyespots more escapes from yellowhammers -> BUT low sample size and pseudoreplication

Question 8

Results: butterfly overall movement

Answer 8

all remained motionless until blue tit was v close or in actual physical contact -> butterfly then open wings and engage in antipredation behaviour, bird would retreat

Question 9

butterflies antipredation behaviour:3 options

Answer 9

either keep wings open but stay motionless, continued flicking wings, or close wings.
- alternate between the 3 but if bird returns they’d open dn flick again

Question 10

more / less with eyespots survived

Answer 10

more, 14/54 in total survived

-only 1/34 with eyespots died

Question 11

did the whistling have any effect

Answer 11

no, but Mohl and Miller 1976 found bats reacted to sound from butterfly

Question 12

peacock butterflies rely on ___ before detection

Answer 12

crypsis

Question 13

butterfly that only rely on crypsis movements =

Answer 13

comma (only crypsis) never move