Question

Resemblance of one organism to another for protection and hiding is known as
A. Mimicry
B. Predation
C. Adaption
D. Camouflage

Answer 1

Hint: The ability of an organism to imitate the physiological and morphological characteristics and behaviour of an unrelated organism is called mimicry. Sometimes this could be done for protection.

Complete answer: In evolutionary biology, mimicry is a process of developing resemblance of the behaviour of the organisms of similar or different species, often an organism of different species. It is done to protect a species from predators. Mimicry evolves if a predator is aware of the similarity between the organism that has a resemblance and the organisms it resembles (models). As a result, changes in behaviour provide a selective advantage to the mimic. Most often mimics make the predator believe that they are an animal that can harm the predator. One species mimics another species in terms of sound, appearance and behaviour to protect itself. In other words, the mimicry is a superficial resemblance of two or more organisms that are not closely related. It can be visual, audio, and tactile. It can include non-living modals. Mimicry is an animal adaptation too that helps some animals to live longer. There are two types of mimicry, Batesian and Mullerian. In Batesian mimicry, where the harmless mimic poses as harmful, whereas in Mullerian mimicry, where two or more harmful species mutually advertise themselves as harmful and exhibit a closely similar warning system.
Hence, the correct answer is option A.

Note: Mimicry is believed to be an example of positive adaptation in evolutionary biology. The most accepted model that describes the evolution of mimicry in butterflies is the two-step hypothesis. Natural selection drives mimicry far enough to deceive predators.