In the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, there are many populations of the checkerspot butterfly, Euphydryas editha. You notice that females of one population, population A, lay their eggs near the tip of a plant's stem. Females of another population in the same area, population B, lay their eggs at the base of the stem on a different type of plant. The young hatch as caterpillars, and they live on the host plant and eat its leaves. Based on this description, what is the ecological relationship between the butterfly and its host plant?

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