aposematism

plural aposematisms

1. biologyAn adaptation, especially a form of coloration, that warns off potential predators.

   The co-occurrence of conspicuous coloration and noxious characteristics in many coastal marine species suggests that aposematism is a common predator deterrent in the marine environment.

   1990 June, Mary [K.] Wicksten, compiler, Adaptive Coloration in Invertebrates: Proceedings of a Symposium Sponsored by the American Society of Zoologists (TAMU-SG; 90-106), [Galveston, Tex.]: Texas A&M Sea Grant College Program, →OCLC, page 77, column 1

   4 more examples

   First, the selection of "red" as a releaser in courtship and social chasing indicates a secondarily evolved use of aposematic coloring. It is assumed here that aposematism in this and other red-and-black heliconiids, and their correlated development of Müllerian mimicry, occurred in evolution before the development of red as a social releaser.

   1954, Zoologica: Scientific Contributions of the New York Zoological Society, New York, N.Y.: New York Zoological Society, →OCLC, page 193, column 1

   Detected prey can avoid an attack by way of warning signals (aposematism), for example, bright coloration as a sign of toxicity. […] Aposematisms offer opportunities for 'cheating' species which are not poisonous but show the same color pattern, so-called Batesian mimicry.

   2008, J. M. Jeshke, C. Laforsch, R. Tollrian, “Animal Prey Defenses”, in Encyclopedia of Ecology, volumes 1 (A–C), Amsterdam: Elsevier, →ISBN, page 191, column 2

   For example, both toxicity and coloration may be energetically costly to produce and maintain, and some theoretical models have predicted that once a predator has learned that a prey is toxic, prey should reduce the amount of energy invested in producing an honest signal. This could in turn make aposematism evolutionarily stable, as opposed to a constant arms race between toxicity, coloration and predator perception or toxic resistance

   2015 June, Lina María Arenas, Dominic Walter, Martin Stevens, “Signal Honesty and Predation Risk among a Closely Related Group of Aposematic Species”, in Nature, volume 5, London: Nature Research, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 18 Sep 2015, article number 11021

   We focus in this text on animal defences, but aposematism may apply in other groups. Aposematism has thus been variously proposed in plants […] where, for example, conspicuous coloration on the tips of defensitve spines might serve to draw the attention of predators and deter them from attacking. It has been suggested also that aposematism exists in some fungi […]

   2018, Graeme D. Ruxton, William L. Allen, Thomas N. Sherratt, Michael P. Speed, “Aposematism”, in Avoiding Attack: The Evolutionary Ecology of Crypsis, Aposematism, and Mimicry, 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, section 6.2.6 (Aposematism is Primarily a Phenomenon in Animals, but It may be Present in Other Groups), pages 89–90