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Partial wing transparency works better when disrupting wing edges: Evidence from a field experiment
Author(s) -
Arias Mónica,
Leroy Lucie,
Madec Clément,
Matos Louane,
Tedore Cynthia,
Elias Marianne,
Gomez Doris
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1111/jeb.13943
Subject(s) - wing , predation , transparency (behavior) , lepidoptera genitalia , position (finance) , ecology , biology , engineering , computer science , economics , computer security , aerospace engineering , finance
Lepidoptera—a group of insects in which wing transparency has arisen multiple times—exhibits much variation in the size and position of transparent wing zones. However, little is known as to how this variability affects detectability. Here, we test how the size and position of transparent elements affect the predation of artificial moths by wild birds in the field. Morphs with transparent elements touching wing borders showed a reduced predation risk, with the effect being the same regardless of the number of wing borders being touched. By contrast, transparent element size had little to no effect on predation risk. Overall, this experiment shows for the first time that transparency offers higher protection when it disrupts prey contour in terrestrial habitats.