Migratory Predators Link Evolution Across Vast Distances
Author: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Published: 16 Jun 2026
Publication Details: Peer-Reviewed, Simulation, Modelling
Contents: Synopsis - Definition - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates - Related Publications
Synopsis: This research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, challenges a foundational assumption in evolutionary biology - that species must occupy the same geographic range to shape each other's development. Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem used computer simulations to show how migratory predators, by carrying learned or inherited avoidance behaviors across continents, can effectively tie the evolutionary fates of distant, non-overlapping species together. The work has broad relevance, touching on mimicry, predator-prey dynamics, host-pathogen relationships, and more - and it offers a new way of thinking about how migration, already recognized as a major ecological force, may be quietly sculpting the evolutionary landscape across entire continents.
At a Glance
- 1 - The simulations showed that migratory predators can drive Mullerian mimicry - in which multiple defended species share warning signals for mutual benefit - even between prey populations that never geographically overlap.
- 2 - Real-world systems potentially illustrating these long-distance evolutionary links include venomous snake species, migratory birds of prey, monarch butterflies and milkweed plants, and viruses spread by migratory hosts and vectors.
- 3 - The study pinpointed factors that can facilitate or limit cross-range coevolution, including the strength of local predation pressure and the timing of predator migration relative to the emergence of warning signal traits.
- Topic Definition: Allopatric Coevolution
Allopatric coevolution refers to the process by which two or more species influence each other's evolutionary development without sharing the same geographic range. Unlike classical coevolution, which assumes direct ecological contact between species in the same location, allopatric coevolution proposes that indirect links - such as shared migratory predators or other mobile ecological agents - can transmit selective pressures across vast distances. The concept challenges the traditional view that evolutionary relationships are bounded by geography, suggesting instead that species separated by thousands of kilometers may nonetheless shape each other's traits, warning signals, and survival strategies through intermediary species that move between their respective ranges.
Introduction
Predators on the Move May Link the Evolution of Species Thousands of Kilometers Apart
Can a snake in Thailand influence the evolution of a snake in the Philippines even if the two species never cross paths? According to a new study, the answer may be yes. The research suggests that migratory predators can act as evolutionary "messengers," carrying their avoidance behavior across continents and linking the fates of species separated by thousands of kilometers. The findings challenge a longstanding assumption in mimicry theory and open the door to a hidden world of long-distance evolutionary relationships connecting distant ecosystems through migration.
Main Content
To understand how a species evolved, biologists naturally consider factors such as its environment, its evolutionary history, and the species living alongside it. It is easy therefore to overlook the possibility that its evolution may have been affected by a species living thousands of kilometers away. A new study led by PhD student Akiva Topper, Dr. Yotam Ben-Oren, and Dr. Oren Kolodny of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem challenges a basic intuition in evolutionary biology: that species must live in the same place to co-evolve. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the research demonstrates how migratory predators can create evolutionary connections between species that never geographically overlap.
The study focuses on mimicry, a phenomenon in which different species evolve similar warning signals, such as colors, patterns, sounds, or behaviors, to deter predators. Traditionally, mimicry has been understood as a local process that requires species to share the same predators in the same place. However, Topper, Ben-Oren and Kolodny propose that migratory predators may carry learned or inherited avoidance behaviors across continents, effectively linking distant species through shared selective pressures.
Using computer simulations, the researchers modeled two geographically separate populations of defended prey connected by migratory predators. Their results demonstrated that predators moving between regions can promote the evolution of shared warning signals even when the prey species themselves never meet.
"Our findings suggest that species do not necessarily have to coexist geographically in order to coevolve," the authors said. "Migratory agents that travel between locations may effectively connect distant ecosystems, allowing evolutionary interactions to occur across large geographic scales."
The simulations suggest that migratory predators may drive the evolution of Müllerian mimicry, where multiple defended species benefit from sharing the same warning signal, across non-overlapping geographic ranges. The study also identified factors that may facilitate or constrain this process, including the strength of local predation pressures and the timing of predator migration relative to the evolution of warning signals.
Beyond mimicry, the authors argue that the same principle may apply to many other forms of coevolution. The paper discusses how migratory species could connect geographically distant plant-herbivore arms races, host-pathogen interactions, and other evolutionary processes that have traditionally been viewed as local phenomena.
"Migration is a major ecological process that moves vast numbers of animals and their effects between distant ecosystems," said the authors. "Our work suggests that it may also play an underappreciated role in shaping evolution across entire continents."
The researchers highlight several real-world systems that may exhibit these long-distance evolutionary connections, including venomous snakes, migratory birds of prey, monarch butterflies and milkweed plants, and viruses spread by migratory hosts and vectors.
The study introduces a broader perspective on evolution, suggesting that species separated by thousands of kilometers may nevertheless influence one another's evolutionary trajectories through shared migratory agents. The authors hope their work will inspire new empirical research into hidden evolutionary connections that transcend traditional geographic boundaries.
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: For decades, evolutionary biology has treated geographic overlap as a prerequisite for species to influence one another, and that assumption has quietly shaped how researchers design studies, interpret fossil records, and model ecosystems. If migratory predators can genuinely act as evolutionary conduits between distant populations, then the web of influences shaping any given species may be far larger and more complex than current models account for. As climate change continues to shift migration routes and timing, that web could be rewiring itself in ways that will take generations to detect - making this kind of theoretical groundwork not just academically interesting, but genuinely timely.Is Müllerian Mimicry the same as Allopatric Coevolution?
No, they are related but distinct concepts.
Mullerian mimicry is a specific evolutionary phenomenon where two or more species that are both genuinely harmful or unpalatable to predators independently evolve similar warning signals - colors, patterns, sounds - so they mutually reinforce each other's defense. The predator learns to avoid the shared signal, and both species benefit. Classic examples are poison dart frogs and certain butterfly species sharing the same vivid color patterns.
Allopatric coevolution is the broader theoretical framework proposed in this paper - the idea that species can influence each other's evolution without ever sharing the same geographic territory, via a third party (in this case, migratory predators) that bridges the two populations.
The relationship between them in this paper is that Mullerian mimicry is one example or outcome that allopatric coevolution could produce. The researchers used it as a test case to demonstrate their larger point: that migratory predators could cause two geographically separate prey species to converge on the same warning signals, just as classic Mullerian mimicry does - but without the two prey species ever meeting.
So allopatric coevolution is the mechanism, and Mullerian mimicry is one pattern that mechanism might generate across distance. The paper also mentions Batesian mimicry - where a harmless species mimics a harmful one - as another possible outcome of the same process.
Attribution/Source(s): This peer reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and published on 16 Jun 2026, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.