Müllerian mimicry

Müllerian mimicry
/myooh lear"ee euhn, mu-, mi-/, Ecol.
the resemblance in appearance of two or more unpalatable species, which are avoided by predators to a greater degree than any one of the species would be otherwise.
Also, Mullerian mimicry. Cf. Batesian mimicry.
[after German-born Brazilian biologist Fritz Müller (1821-97), who described it in 1878; see -IAN]

* * *

      a form of biological resemblance in which two or more unrelated noxious, or dangerous, organisms exhibit closely similar warning systems, such as the same pattern of bright colours. According to the widely accepted theory advanced in 1878 by the German naturalist Fritz Müller, this resemblance, although differing from the better-known Batesian mimicry (in which one organism is not noxious), should be considered mimicry nonetheless, because a predator that has learned to avoid an organism with a given warning system will avoid all similar organisms, thus making the resemblance a protective mechanism.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mullerian mimicry — Mullerian mimicry. См. мимикрия Мюллера. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • Müllerian mimicry — The Heliconius butterflies from the tropics of the Western Hemisphere are classic Müllerian mimics.[1] Müllerian mimicry is a natural phenomenon when two or more harmful species, that may or may not be closely related and share one or more common …   Wikipedia

  • müllerian mimicry — noun Usage: sometimes capitalized 1st M Etymology: müllerian from Fritz Müller + English an : mimicry between two distasteful or dangerous species (as of butterflies) …   Useful english dictionary

  • Mullerian mimicry — Similarity (usually consisting of coloration) of several species that are distasteful, poisonous, or otherwise harmful to a predator; see Batesian mimicry …   Dictionary of invertebrate zoology

  • Müllerian mimicry — [mʊ lɪərɪən] noun Zoology a form of mimicry in which two or more harmful or unpalatable animals develop similar appearances as a shared protective device. Origin C19: named after the German zoologist J. F. T. Müller …   English new terms dictionary

  • Müllerian mimicry — the condition where unpalatable species resemble each other, and are recognised and avoided by predators. The chance of being damaged by an uneducated predator is reduced by more than one species having the same appearance …   Dictionary of ichthyology

  • Müllerian — may refer to: Müllerian mimicry, a type of mimicry or convergence named after Fritz Müller Müllerian ducts, which enter the cloaca of an embryo (named after Johannes Peter Müller) Mixed Müllerian tumor This disambiguation page lists articles… …   Wikipedia

  • Mimicry — For other uses, see Mimic (disambiguation). Plate from Henry Walter Bates (1862) illustrating Batesian mimicry between Dismorphia species (top row, third row) and various Ithomiini (Nymphalidae, second row, bottom row) In …   Wikipedia

  • mimicry — /mim ik ree/, n., pl. mimicries. 1. the act, practice, or art of mimicking. 2. Biol. the close external resemblance of an organism, the mimic, to some different organism, the model, such that the mimic benefits from the mistaken identity, as… …   Universalium

  • mimicry — similarity of appearance between two species, the mimic gaining protection from resembling a dangerous organism such as a predator or poisonous organism (Batesian mimicry) or where both species are protected against predators by being distasteful …   Dictionary of ichthyology

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”