Question

Before the Industrial Revolution, the peppered moth in England was a small moth that would live on white-barked trees. Most of the moths were light- colored because these moths could blend in and hide from predators. Darker-colored peppered moths would be easily eaten. However, factory pollution caused many of the trees to become darker colored from soot.

Based on this information, what is the most likely way that the population would change over time?

Answer 1

The population of peppered moths in England changed with the darker-colored moths becoming more prevalent due to better camouflage provided by the soot-covered trees during the Industrial Revolution, an example of directional selection.

Step-by-step explanation:

Before the Industrial Revolution, peppered moths in England were primarily light-colored, providing camouflage against the white-barked trees, making them less visible to predators. However, as the Industrial Revolution progressed, soot from the factories coated the trees, making the trunks darker. Consequently, the darker-colored moths, which were previously more vulnerable to predators due to their visibility against the lighter trees, became better camouflaged. This resulted in a shift in the moth population, with a higher survival rate for the dark-colored moths and, thus, an increase in their numbers over time. This change is an example of directional selection, where environmental factors favored one color morph over the other and led to a change in the population's color distribution.