Scenario: The butterflies Heliconius melpomene and H. erato each show extraordinary geographical variation in coloration, and their colors...

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Biology

Scenario: The butterflies Heliconiusmelpomene and H. erato each showextraordinary geographical variation in coloration, and theircolors vary in parallel.

Both species gain a fitness advantage by resembling the otherbecause birds are more likely to associate their coloration withdistastefulness and so avoid attacking them.

In field experiments, butterflies were marked and released withtwo color patterns: the local pattern and a pattern from one of theneighboring races.

Butterflies with the local pattern survive more than twice aswell as those with the “wrong” color pattern.

What does this experiment suggest about the type of selection isoccurring in these butterflies?

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Most ofthe Insets and small birds and animals have the habit of Mimicry toescape from its predators by appearing like a bigger animal or byadapting the color of the surroundings In the case of    See Answer
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