研究人员对两栖动物反捕食色彩的演化过渡进行了大规模的分析，并证明从伪装术到警戒态的演化过渡很少是直接的，而往往涉及到一个中间阶段，即隐蔽的物种，暂时暴露出明显的色彩。对这一中间步骤的解释可以解决这一悖论，从而促进人们对警戒态演化的理解。
据悉，无益猎物中警告信号的最初演化，即所谓的警戒态，常常被看作是一个悖论，因为任何新的明显的突变体都比其隐蔽的同类更容易被发现，并且不容易被天敌识别为防御性。一种可能性是，永久性的警戒态首先是通过物种使用隐藏的警告信号来演化的，这些信号只有在遇到可能的捕食者时才会暴露出来。
附：英文原文
Title: Evolutionary transitions from camouflage to aposematism: Hidden signals play a pivotal role
Author: Karl Loeffler-Henry, Changku Kang, Thomas N. Sherratt
Issue&Volume: 2023-03-17
Abstract: The initial evolution of warning signals in unprofitable prey, termed aposematism, is often seen as a paradox because any new conspicuous mutant would be easier to detect than its cryptic conspecifics and not readily recognized by nave predators as defended. One possibility is that permanent aposematism first evolved through species using hidden warning signals, which are only exposed to would-be predators on encounter. Here, we present a large-scale analysis of evolutionary transitions in amphibian antipredation coloration and demonstrate that the evolutionary transition from camouflage to aposematism is rarely direct but tends to involve an intermediary stage, namely cryptic species that facultatively reveal conspicuous coloration. Accounting for this intermediate step can resolve the paradox and thereby advance our understanding of the evolution of aposematism.
DOI: ade5156
Source: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ade5156