诺丁汉大学Tom Reader课题组近日取得一项新成果。经过不懈努力，他们揭示了使用3D打印刺激绘制贝叶斯模仿的适应性景观。该项研究成果发表在2025年7月2日出版的《自然》上。

为了解决这个问题，该课题组研究人员创造了模拟表型，通过在真实昆虫（苍蝇和黄蜂）的3D图像之间变形来占据假设的性状空间区域，并测试了真实捕食者对这些表型的高分辨率、全彩色3D打印复制品的反应。课题组发现，鸟类有一种很好的能力，可以根据外表上的细微差异来学习区分昆虫，但这种能力在图案和形状上比在颜色和大小特征上弱。研究团队发现模仿者没有从与多个模型表型的中间相似性中获得特殊的保护。

然而，一些无脊椎捕食者（特别是蟹蛛和螳螂）的辨别能力较低，这突出表明捕食者群落是解释许多模仿者明显不准确的关键。

据悉，在适应的一个经典例子中，无害的贝叶斯模仿者通过与一个或多个令人不快的模型相似而获得保护免受捕食者的攻击。模仿的准确性差别很大，解释不准确模仿的持久性是进化生物学家面临的一个持续挑战。现有假设的实证检验受到评估现存物种中缺失的表型适应度的困难的限制，这使得适应性景观的大部分未被探索——这是一个影响大多数复杂性状进化研究的问题。

附：英文原文

Title: Mapping the adaptive landscape of Batesian mimicry using 3D-printed stimuli

Author: Taylor, Christopher H., Watson, David James George, Skelhorn, John, Bell, Danny, Burdett, Simon, Codyre, Aoife, Cooley, Kathryn, Davies, James R., Dawson, Joshua Joseph, DCruz, Tahir, Gandhi, Samir Raj, Jackson, Hannah J., Lowe, Rebecca, Ogilvie, Elizabeth, Pond, Alexandra Lei, Rees, Hallie, Richardson, Joseph, Sains, Joshua, Short, Francis, Brignell, Christopher, Davidson, Gabrielle L., Rowland, Hannah M., East, Mark, Goodridge, Ruth, Gilbert, Francis, Reader, Tom

Issue&Volume: 2025-07-02

Abstract: In a classic example of adaptation, harmless Batesian mimics gain protection from predators through resemblance to one or more unpalatable models1,2. Mimics vary greatly in accuracy, and explaining the persistence of inaccurate mimics is an ongoing challenge for evolutionary biologists3,4. Empirical testing of existing hypotheses is constrained by the difficulty of assessing the fitness of phenotypes absent among extant species, leaving large parts of the adaptive landscape unexplored5—a problem affecting the study of the evolution of most complex traits. Here, to address this, we created mimetic phenotypes that occupy hypothetical areas of trait space by morphing between 3D images of real insects (flies and wasps), and tested the responses of real predators to high-resolution, full-colour 3D-printed reproductions of these phenotypes. We found that birds have an excellent ability to learn to discriminate among insects on the basis of subtle differences in appearance, but this ability is weaker for pattern and shape than for colour and size traits. We found that mimics gained no special protection from intermediate resemblance to multiple model phenotypes. However, discrimination ability was lower in some invertebrate predators (especially crab spiders and mantises), highlighting that the predator community is key to explaining the apparent inaccuracy of many mimics.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09216-3

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09216-3