The Rocky Mountain Parnassian butterfly lives on separate meadows in Alberta, Canada.Individuals live in a single meadow but can fly among meadows.This arrangement would best be classified as a

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A metapopulation is a group of interbreeding populations that are connected by the movement of individuals among them. In this case, the Rocky Mountain Parnassian butterfly lives in separate meadows, but individuals can fly among them. Therefore, this arrangement best fits the definition of a metapopulation. A niche refers to the specific ecological role and requirements of a species, a territory refers to a particular area defended by an individual or group, a population refers to a group of individuals of the same species in a particular area, and a geographic range refers to the entire area where a species can be found. None of these terms fully capture the unique arrangement of the Rocky Mountain Parnassian butterfly living on separate meadows but still being able to move among them.

The Rocky Mountain Parnassian Butterfly Lives on Separate Meadows in Alberta