Final answer:
The eyespot trait in butterflies causes fleeing behavior in yellow buntings, indicating natural selection at a population level, favoring butterflies with eyespots over generations. Insect mouthparts vary according to their specific diets and lifestyles, aligning with the principle that form follows function.
Step-by-step explanation:
The questions posed pertain to the relationship between predator and prey behavior and the process of natural selection within butterfly populations. Laboratory experiments with yellow buntings and butterflies with differing wing patterns, specifically the presence or absence of eyespots, provide insight into these dynamics. The eyespot trait appears to influence the behavior of the birds—those with eyespots resulted in increased fleeing behavior among the buntings.
This suggests a selective pressure favoring butterflies with eyespots, as it helps to escape predation. This adaptive feature, however, does not occur in individual butterflies but, rather, on a population level through the process of natural selection. As predatory responses affect the survival rates of butterflies with various patterns, those with beneficial traits, like the simulation of a predator's eyes, have higher survival and reproductive success. Over generations, this can lead to more individuals in the population exhibiting the mimetic wing pattern.
In terms of mouthparts and lifestyles of insects like cockroaches compared to butterflies, the diversity in design indicates different feeding habits, which in turn reflect their ecological roles and niches. Cockroaches, for example, have mouthparts suitable for a diet of decaying material, while butterflies have a siphoning mouthpart adapted for nectar feeding. This demonstrates the fundamental principle of biology that form follows function.