Question

Some individuals in a particular species of butterfly display coloration that mimics that of a different, poisonous butterfly species living in the same habitat. Place the elements in order to model what may happen to the first butterfly species if the poisonous butterfly species is removed from the habitat. a. Predators will eat butterflies with mimicking coloration more often than before. b. The proportion of individuals in the population with mimicking coloration will decrease. c. The pressure on predators to avoid eating poisonous butterflies will decrease. d. The survival advantage for mimicking butterflies will decrease.

Answer 1

c, b, d, a. If the poisonous butterfly species is removed from the habitat, predators will no longer have to avoid eating them, reducing the pressure on predators to distinguish between the non-poisonous mimicking butterflies and their toxic models. As a result, the proportion of individuals in the population with mimicking coloration will decrease, as there is less selective pressure for this trait. The survival advantage for mimicking butterflies will also decrease without the presence of their toxic models. Lastly, predators will eat butterflies with mimicking coloration more often than before, as they are no longer wary of the poisonous species.