Question

Perennial plants in the genus Asclepias (milkweeds) contain compounds called cardiac glucosides (cardenolides) that can be toxic for animals. Monarch butterfly larvae feed on Asciepias sp. but are not harmed by the cardenolides. Instead these molecules accumulate in the tissues of the caterpillar and are present in the tissues of the adult butterfly. Because of these toxins in their tissues, Monarch butterflies are unpalatable to insectivorous birds. Another species of butterfly, the Viceroy, looks very similar to the Monarch in its bright coloration and distinctive patterning but was thought to lack a toxin. Because Monarch butterflies are toxic it was long thought that the similar appearance of nontoxic Viceroy butterflies was an example of:

Answer 1

Answer:

Batesian mimicry

Explanation:

Batesian mimicry refers to a form of biological resemblance by which a harmless prey species evolved in order to imitate another harmful species for a common predator, thereby increasing its chances of survival. This defensive behavior was described by Henry W. Bates, who made ecological observations of butterflies in the Brazilian rainforest. Thus, an innocuous species that show harmful signals against a predator will gain protection against this predator. Batesian mimicry is a type of mimicry that benefits from the predator's learned avoidance behavior.