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Lesley J. Morrell on Muck Rack

Lesley J. Morrell

As seen in: Yahoo Canada, The Conversation, Phys.org, Popular Science, BioRxiv
Prof of Bioscience Education. Associate Dean Education @HullUniScience. NTF 2020. PFHEA. Behavioural ecology @hullbams. Mum of 1. She/her.
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Articles

Nature's greatest method actors: The insects that cosplay bumblebees

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By James Gilbert Verified, Lesley J. Morrell, Gaby Clark Verified, Robert Egan Verified
| Phys.org Verified
Deception is everywhere in nature. Animals and plants routinely cheat, lie and manipulate for their own benefit. One example is mimicry, where one species (the mimic) has evolved to resemble another (the model). No group of animals takes this to greater lengths than hoverflies—bean-sized bullets that zip around your garden, cosplaying bees and wasps. As some new research by ourselves and others show, hoverflies surprise not just their predators, but evolutionary biologists too.
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Nature’s greatest method actors: the insects that cosplay bumblebees Original

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By James Gilbert, Lesley J. Morrell
| The Conversation Verified
Deception is everywhere in nature. Animals and plants routinely cheat, lie and manipulate for their own benefit. One example is mimicry, where one species (the mimic) has evolved to resemble another (the model). No group of animals takes this to greater lengths than hoverflies – bean-sized bullets that zip around your garden, cosplaying bees and wasps. As some new research by ourselves and others show, hoverflies surprise not just their predators, but evolutionary biologists too.
Open in Who Shared View Duplicates (5) Issue with article?

Internet images reveal bumblebee-mimicking hoverflies have evolved to follow flower colour preferences of their models

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By James Gilbert, Lesley J. Morrell, Francis Gilbert, Joseph Craig-Jackson
| BioRxiv
Abstract Batesian mimics, such as hoverflies, can gain protection by resembling noxious species that predators avoid, such as bees. Such resemblance can be behavioural as well as morphological. Bees commonly have a preference for blue flowers, whilst flies generally prefer yellow and white. We predicted that, driven by selection for enhanced mimicry, bee-mimicking hoverflies would have switched flower preference from yellow to blue, to follow the flower choices of their models.
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