Evaluating the potential for evolutionary mismatch in Batesian mimics: a case study in the endangered Smooth Snake (Coronella austriaca).

Many harmless organisms gain a survival advantage by mimicking venomous species. This is the case of the endangered smooth snake (Coronella austriaca), which mimics venomous vipers. Although this may protect the smooth snake against most of its natural predators, it may render them at greater risk of mortality from humans, who are more inclined to kill species, such as vipers, that they consider dangerous. This may cause an evolutionary mismatch, whereby humans may counteract the natural advantage of mimicry. We explore this possibility evaluating the willingness of humans to kill smooth snakes versus the adder (Vipera berus), as well as their ability to discern them in the Åland Islands. Our results show that, even when respondents did not wish to kill the smooth snakes, they were often mistaken for adders, which they were willing to kill. Altogether, viper-mimicry brought about a 2.3-fold increase in the likelihood of smooth snakes being killed upon human encounter. These results open...

许多无害生物可通过模仿有毒物种获得生存优势。濒危滑蛇（Coronella austriaca）便是此类拟态的典型案例，它会模拟有毒蝰蛇的外形。尽管这种拟态或能帮助滑蛇规避多数自然天敌的捕食，却可能使其面临更高的人类致死风险：人类往往会主动捕杀那些自认为具有危险性的物种，例如蝰蛇。这一现象可能引发进化错配，即人类的行为会抵消拟态为滑蛇带来的天然生存优势。我们以奥兰群岛（Åland Islands）为研究区域，评估人类对滑蛇与极北蝰（Vipera berus）的杀戮意愿，并考察人类能否区分这两种蛇类。研究结果显示，即便受访者并无杀害滑蛇的意愿，滑蛇仍常被误认作他们愿意捕杀的极北蝰。总体而言，拟态有毒蝰蛇使滑蛇在人类偶遇时被杀害的概率提升了2.3倍。上述研究结果开启了……