| 1. |
- Bexelius, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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27 forskare : Så kan EU:s murar rivas
- 2015
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Ingår i: Dagens samhälle. - : Sveriges kommuner och landsting. - 1652-6511. ; :20150923
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Tidskriftsartikel (populärvet., debatt m.m.)
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Gamberale-Stille, Gabriella, et al.
(författare)
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Biased generalization of salient traits drives the evolution of warning signals
- 2018
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 285:1877
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The importance of receiver biases in shaping the evolution of many signalling systems is widely acknowledged. Here, we show that receiver bias can explain which traits evolve to become warning signals. For warning coloration, a generalization bias for a signalling trait can result from predators learning to discriminate unprofitable from profitable prey. However, because the colour patterns of prey are complex traits with multiple components, it is crucial to understand which of the many aspects of prey appearance evolve into signals. We provide experimental evidence that the more salient differences in prey traits give rise to greater generalization bias, corresponding to stronger selection towards trait exaggeration. Our results are based on experiments with domestic chickens as predators in a Skinner-box-like setting, and imply that the difference in appearance between profitable and unprofitable prey that is most rapidly learnt produces the greatest generalization bias. As a consequence, certain salient traits of unprofitable prey are selected towards exaggeration to even higher salience, driving the evolution of warning coloration. This general idea may also help to explain the evolution of many other striking signalling traits found in nature.
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| 4. |
- Kazemi, Baharan, 1982-
(författare)
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Evolution of Mimicry and Aposematism Explained: Salient Traits and Predator Psychology
- 2017
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Aposematic species have evolved conspicuous warning signals, such as bright colors and striking patterns, to deter predators. Some edible and harmless species take advantage of this deterrent effect by mimicking their appearance. Mimicry is a great example of how natural selection produces remarkable adaptations. However, while some species evolve a very close similarity to their models to effectively avoid attacks, others are successful in doing so despite an incomplete similarity, i.e. imperfect mimicry. In some cases, it is surprising how such a crude disguise can fool predators. Why and how imperfect mimicry can persist has been much discussed and considered as a problem for the theory of natural selection. It is therefore of great interest to understand what makes it possible.Predator psychology is an important factor in the evolution of aposematism and mimicry. In the past decades it has been suggested that certain components of prey appearance are more important to predators than others during prey assessment. We developed this idea by incorporating concepts from associative learning, and presented a new approach to explain imperfect mimicry. Our general hypothesis is that prey traits have different salience to predators. Certain traits are perceived as highly salient and are thus used primarily in the discrimination and generalization of prey, while traits with low salience are overshadowed and not used in the assessment. The salience of a trait can depend on how conspicuous or discriminable it is in the particular context, and can vary due to for example previous predator experience.We tested our ideas with wild blue tits and domestic chickens as predators, and artificial and semi-natural prey stimuli. In paper I we found that the trait that was perceived as most salient (color) was the one used to discriminate and generalize between prey. Mimics of that specific trait were highly avoided, despite differences in the other traits. We also found that salience is relative and context dependent (paper II). In a context where two traits were perceived as similarly salient, mimicry of a single trait offered intermediate protection, while mimicry of both offered high protection. In another context, the traits were perceived differently salient, and mimicry of one trait was enough for high protection. In paper III we tested a proposed scenario for the initiation of mimicry evolution in the edible butterfly mimic Papilio polyxenes asterius to its noxious model Battus philenor. The results showed that a partial similarity with the model in the salient black wing color offered intermediate protection from attacks, despite a general dissimilarity.This thesis investigates the major questions of imperfect mimicry: the initial step of mimicry evolution, the persistence of imperfect mimicry, and variation in mimic-model similarity. We conclude that mimicry evolution can begin in a non-mimetic species that acquires similarity to a model species in a high-salience trait. When multiple traits have similar salience, multi-trait mimicry is needed for higher protection. Mimicry can remain imperfect if the differences are in traits with low salience, and therefore under low or no selection pressure to change.To complete the picture, we showed that predators can have a biased generalization toward a more pronounced version of a salient trait (paper IV). The evolution of aposematism could therefore be explained by gradual enhancement of salient traits.
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| 5. |
- Kazemi, Baharan, et al.
(författare)
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Learning of salient prey traits explains Batesian mimicry evolution
- 2018
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Ingår i: Evolution. - : Wiley. - 0014-3820 .- 1558-5646. ; 72:3, s. 531-539
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Batesian mimicry evolution involves an initial major mutation that produces a rough resemblance to the model, followed by smaller improving changes. To examine the learning psychology of this process, we applied established ideas about mimicry in Papilio polyxenes asterius of the model Battus philenor. We performed experiments with wild birds as predators and butterfly wings as semiartificial prey. Wings of hybrids of P. p. asterius and Papilio machaon were used to approximate the first mutant, with melanism as the hypothesized first mimetic trait. Based on previous results about learning psychology and imperfect mimicry, we predicted that: melanism should have high salience (i.e., being noticeable and prominent), meaning that predators readily discriminate a melanistic mutant from appearances similar to P. machaon; the difference between the first mutant and the model should have intermediate salience to allow further improvement of mimicry; and the final difference in appearance between P. p. asterius and B. philenor should have very low salience, causing improvement to level off. Our results supported both the traditional hypothesis and all our predictions about relative salience. We conclude that there is good agreement between long-held ideas about how Batesian mimicry evolves and recent insights from learning psychology about the role of salience in mimicry evolution.
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| 6. |
- Kazemi, Baharan, et al.
(författare)
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Multi-trait mimicry and the relative salience of individual traits
- 2015
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 282:1818
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mimicry occurs when one species gains protection from predators by resembling an unprofitable model species. The degree of mimic-model similarity is variable in nature and is closely related to the number of traits that the mimic shares with its model. Here, we experimentally test the hypothesis that the relative salience of traits, as perceived by a predator, is an important determinant of the degree of mimic-model similarity required for successful mimicry. We manipulated the relative salience of the traits of a two-trait artificial model prey, and subsequently tested the survival of mimics of the different traits. The unrewarded model prey had two colour traits, black and blue, and the rewarded prey had two combinations of green, brown and grey shades. Blue tits were used as predators. We found that the birds perceived the black and blue traits similarly salient in one treatment, and mimic-model similarity in both traits was then required for high mimic success. In a second treatment, the blue trait was the most salient trait, and mimic-model similarity in this trait alone achieved high success. Our results thus support the idea that similar salience of model traits can explain the occurrence of multi-trait mimicry.
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| 7. |
- Kazemi, Baharan, et al.
(författare)
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Stimulus Salience as an Explanation for Imperfect Mimicry
- 2014
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Ingår i: Current Biology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0960-9822 .- 1879-0445. ; 24:9, s. 965-969
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The theory of mimicry explains how a mimic species gains advantage by resembling a model species [1-3]. Selection for increased mimic-model similarity should then result in accurate mimicry, yet there are many surprising examples of poor mimicry in the natural world [4-8]. The existence of imperfect mimics remains a major unsolved conundrum. We propose and experimentally test a novel explanation of the phenomenon. We argue that predators perceive prey as having several traits, but that the traits differ in their importance for learning. When predators learn to discriminate prey, high-salience traits overshadow other traits, leaving them under little or no selection for similarity, and allow imperfect mimicry to succeed. We tested this idea experimentally, using blue tits as predators and artificial prey with three prominent traits: color, pattern, and shape. We found that otherwise imperfect color mimics were avoided about as much as perfect mimics, whereas pattern and shape mimics did not gain from their similarity to the model. All traits could separately be perceived and learned by the predators, but the color trait was learned at a higher rate, implying that it had higher salience. We conclude that difference in salience between components of prey appearance is of major importance in explaining imperfect mimicry.
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| 8. |
- Kazemi, Baharan
(författare)
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Unaccompanied minors (un-)made in Sweden. Ungrievable lives and access to rights produced through policy
- 2021
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- On 24 November 2015, the Swedish prime minister announced a new, restrictive asylum policy with the explicit aim of placing Sweden at the EU minimum level in terms of refugee reception. A temporary Aliens Act minimized the right to asylum and family reunification. At the centre of the policy debate was the figure of the unaccompanied minor. In this thesis, the meanings associated with the concept of unaccompaniedness in Swedish legislation is explored in order to critically analyze the changes that took place during and after 2015. With a theory-method design drawing on post-structural policy analysis and discourse theory, seven government bills are analyzed together with interviews with welfare workers/activists and young persons affected by the policy changes. What the government bills have in common is the centrality of the concept of unaccompaniedness. The reforms are positioned at the intersection of social work and migration policy: custodianship for asylum-seeking unaccompanied minors, reception in municipalities under the Social Services Act, construction of alternative “Supported Housing” services aimed at this target group and other youth, age estimations in the asylum process and exception rules as a path to residence permits based on participation in upper secondary education. The main results indicate that the way in which unaccompanied minors are described as different from children in general and thus in need of other support and other rights, has existed long before the restriction laws from 2015. The discursive formation with a specific position for unaccompanied minors has thus not undergone a total transformation. Rather, additional layering of meanings associated with the concept has been added. In the reforms from 2005-2006, unaccompanied minors are mainly regarded as grievable lives due to the vulnerability associated with their specific migration experience and being without guardians. Through various political logics, where economy and anti-immigrant sentiments have an impact, subjects are increasingly excluded from this position. They are attributed negative associations and disqualified from being both children and vulnerable. This demarcation defines who can be a "real" child and thus a grievable life with the right to protection and rights. The exception rules that were presented in 2017-2018, acknowledge the precarious position created through the restrictive reforms. A pathway to residence permit through participation in upper secondary education was provided. Thereby, the figure of the unaccompanied minor was also re-invented from a child refugee to an international student and potential labour migrant. In this thesis, it is argued that lives are constructed as grieavable and not through specific meanings given to the term vulnerability in relation to concepts of childhood, borders, racialization and the nation. Through these processes of meaning-making subject positions are shaped and access to rights defined. However, policy is produced in a political context and dependent on social practices. Thus it is relevant to see the reforms in relation to social work practice, social movements and the populations affected, who through acts of citizenship and of solidarity challenge the dominant border regime.
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