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🔬 Biology  ·  Organisms and Populations  ·  NEET

The Monarch butterfly is distasteful and toxic to predatory birds because it:

Answer: Gains a chemical from its larval food plant.

  • A Has very bright warning wing colours
  • B Gains a chemical from its larval food plant
  • C Flies faster than predators
  • D Produces a loud warning sound

Correct answer: B. Gains a chemical from its larval food plant

Explanation: The Monarch stores a special chemical obtained from the milkweed it fed on as a caterpillar, making it unpalatable to birds.

Exponential (J-curve) vs Logistic (S-curve) GrowthtimePopulation (N)Exponential (unlimited resources)K (carrying capacity)Logistic (limited resources)Logistic growth slows as N approaches K; exponential growth never slows down

Exponential growth produces an ever-steepening J-curve with no limit, an unrealistic long-term model; logistic growth produces an S-curve that levels off at the carrying capacity K, as growth rate (K−N)/K shrinks to zero once resources are fully used.

Concept context

How organisms interact with abiotic factors and respond to stress, plus population attributes, growth models, and interspecific interactions such as predation, competition, and mutualism.

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