Final answer:
The claim that an insect looks like an adult when it hatches during complete metamorphosis is false. Instead, insects like butterflies emerge as larvae and go through distinct stages before reaching adulthood, reducing competition for resources between stages.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that an insect which undergoes a complete metamorphosis life cycle will look like an adult when it hatches from the egg is False. Insects with complete metamorphosis go through several distinct stages: egg, larva, pupa, and then adult. The larval stage looks markedly different from the adult form. For example, in the case of a butterfly, the egg hatches into a caterpillar, which is the larval stage. The caterpillar then forms a chrysalis as a pupa and undergoes a transformation into the adult butterfly.
Complete metamorphosis is advantageous because it reduces competition for resources between the larvae and adults, as they often have different diets and ecological niches. Insects with incomplete metamorphosis, on the other hand, such as grasshoppers, resemble wingless adults when they hatch and undergo less dramatic changes as they grow, developing wings and reproductive organs in their final molt.