read the passage. then answer the question. alcon blue butterflies spend the first part of their lives as…

read the passage. then answer the question. alcon blue butterflies spend the first part of their lives as caterpillars that live with myrmica ants. when a caterpillar lives with the ants, it mimics, or pretends to be, an ant. the caterpillar can mimic the ants by copying their smell. the caterpillar can also make noises that make it sound like a queen ant. queen ants receive more food and better protection than any other ants in the nest. so, when the caterpillar mimics an ant, the ants feed and protect the caterpillar instead of other ants in the nest. which type of relationship is formed when an alcon blue caterpillar lives in a myrmica ant nest? commensal mutualistic parasitic

read the passage. then answer the question. alcon blue butterflies spend the first part of their lives as caterpillars that live with myrmica ants. when a caterpillar lives with the ants, it mimics, or pretends to be, an ant. the caterpillar can mimic the ants by copying their smell. the caterpillar can also make noises that make it sound like a queen ant. queen ants receive more food and better protection than any other ants in the nest. so, when the caterpillar mimics an ant, the ants feed and protect the caterpillar instead of other ants in the nest. which type of relationship is formed when an alcon blue caterpillar lives in a myrmica ant nest? commensal mutualistic parasitic

Answer

Brief Explanations:

In a commensal relationship, one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor harmed. In a mutualistic relationship, both organisms benefit. In a parasitic relationship, one organism (the parasite) benefits at the expense of the other (the host). The Alcon blue caterpillar benefits from the ants' care and protection, while the ants are harmed as they are expending resources on the caterpillar instead of their own colony - this is a parasitic relationship.

Answer:

parasitic