Mimicry in plants and animals

By Wolfgang Wickler

Subjects: Mimicry (Biology), Biological Adaptation, Mimétisme

Description: Many living things survive by pretending to look or behave like something else. An organism enjoying a selective advantage by developing some of the identifying characteristics of another species provides scientists with a classic test-case for evolution. Previous accounts of mimicry, following Henry Bates, have been largely restricted to moths and butterflies. This book, the first to cover the whole field of the mimetic falsification of signals, shows that mimicry is widespread, stressing that behavior is as important as coloration. However, because what appears to be mimicry may really not be mimicry at all, it also establishes the criteria for true mimicry and emphasizes experiment answers to such questions. (back cover copy)