Mimicry Evolution

Batesian mimicry (Bates 1862): edible species evolve to resemble toxic/unpalatable models. Protection degrades at high mimic frequency — predators encounter mimics often enough to learn the signal is unreliable. An equilibrium mimic frequency exists where benefit = cost. Müllerian mimicry (Müller 1878): two toxic species converge on the same warning signal, sharing the predator-education cost. Unlike Batesian, this is mutualistic: both species benefit from increased mimic frequency. The model tracks predator avoidance probability as a function of encounter history, following a reinforcement learning update rule.