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Multiple Choice
The poison-arrow frogs Dendrobates of tropical America are all brightly colored and have very similar patterns. Although each species is distasteful to predators and all possess toxic skin secretions, some of the species live quite separately from the others. The adaptive relationship among these species is best termed __________.
A
cryptic coloration
B
parasitism
C
commensalism
D
Batesian mimicry
E
Müllerian mimicry
Verified step by step guidance
1
Begin by understanding the concept of mimicry in biology, which is a survival strategy where one species evolves to resemble another.
Differentiate between Batesian mimicry and Müllerian mimicry. Batesian mimicry involves a harmless species imitating a harmful one, while Müllerian mimicry involves two or more harmful species evolving to look similar.
Consider the characteristics of the poison-arrow frogs: they are all distasteful to predators and possess toxic skin secretions, indicating they are harmful.
Recognize that Müllerian mimicry is the adaptive relationship where multiple harmful species share similar warning signals, enhancing predator avoidance.
Conclude that the brightly colored and similar patterns of the poison-arrow frogs, combined with their toxic nature, exemplify Müllerian mimicry, as they collectively reinforce the warning to predators.