Organisms have evolved different defense mechanisms, such as crypsis and mimicry, to avoid detection and recognition by predators. A prominent example is Batesian mimicry, where palatable species mimic unpalatable or toxic ones, such as Clytini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) that mimic wasps. However, scientific evidence for the effectiveness of Batesian mimicry in Cerambycids in natural habitats is scarce. We investigated predation of warningly and nonwarningly colored Cerambycids by birds in a temperate forest using beetle dummies. Dummies mimicking Tetropium castaneum, Leptura aethiops, Clytus arietis, and Leptura quadrifasciata were exposed on standing and laying deadwood and monitored predation events by birds over one season. The 20 surveyed plots differed in their structural complexity and canopy openness due to different postdisturbance logging strategies. A total of 88 predation events on warningly colored beetle dummies and 89 predation events on nonwarningly colored beetle dummies did not reveal the difference in predation risk by birds. However, predation risk increased with canopy openness, bird abundance, and exposure time, which peaked in July. This suggests that environmental factors have a higher importance in determining predation risk of warningly and nonwarningly colored Cerambycidae than the actual coloration of the beetles. Our study showed that canopy openness might be important in determining the predation risk of beetles by birds regardless of beetles' warning coloration. Different forest management strategies that often modify canopy openness may thus alter predator-prey interactions.

Department for Spatial Structures and Digitization of Forests Georg August University Göttingen Büsgenweg 1 37077 Göttingen Germany

Department of Ecology Swedish University of Agriculture Uppsala Sweden

Department of Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones Georg August University Göttingen Büsgenweg 1 37077 Göttingen Germany

Faculty of Science University of South Bohemia Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic

Field Station Fabrikschleichach Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology Julius Maximilians University Würzburg Glashüttenstraße 5 96181 Rauhenebrach Germany

Hessian Agency for Nature Conservation Environment and Geology Biodiversity center Europastrasse 10 D 35394 Giessen Germany

Institute of Entomology Biology Centre CAS 370 05 Ceske Budejovice Czech Republic

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