How does cryptic colouration help prey?

The correct answer is Option (2) → Lessen the impact of predation

Prey species have many defences against their predators. One of them is cryptic colouration (camouflage): the body colour matches the background, so the predator cannot easily see the animal. Some insects and frogs are coloured this way. Other defences are being poisonous or distasteful, as in the Monarch butterfly.

Option (1) Feed abundantly — Incorrect. Camouflage does not help the prey find or eat food. It is a defence that hides the prey from the predator.

Option (2) Lessen the impact of predation — Correct. By making the prey hard for the predator to detect, camouflage reduces the chance of being eaten, so it lessens the impact of predation.

Option (3) Increase their number — Incorrect. Colouring does not by itself raise the number of prey. It only helps the prey survive attacks.

Option (4) Increase their reproductive fitness — Incorrect. Reproductive fitness depends on how many offspring are produced. Cryptic colouring is about escaping predators, not about breeding.

NCERT Extract:
Population Interactions – “… Prey species have evolved various defenses to lessen the impact of predation. Some species of insects and frogs are cryptically-coloured (camouflaged) to avoid being detected easily by the predator. Some are poisonous and therefore avoided by the predators. The Monarch butterfly is highly distasteful to its predator (bird) because of a special chemical present in its body.”