The contributed to this change B. The dark moths did not prey on the light moths. Therefore, B. The dark moths did not prey on the light moths is correct .
During the Industrial Revolution, coal-burning factories emitted significant amounts of black soot, leading to environmental changes that profoundly impacted the peppered moth population.
In and around industrialized cities, the trees became coated with this dark soot, and the lichen covering them, crucial for the survival of light-colored peppered moths, began to die off.
As a result, the light-colored moths faced increased difficulty in camouflaging themselves against the now darkened tree trunks.
Concurrently, the dark peppered moths experienced a survival advantage in this altered environment.
Their coloration, previously a disadvantage in natural, unpolluted surroundings, became a boon in the soot-covered landscapes.
Predatory birds, which relied on visual cues to locate their prey, found it harder to spot the dark moths against the darkened tree bark.
Consequently, the population of dark peppered moths flourished, while the number of light-colored moths declined due to increased predation.
This phenomenon, known as industrial melanism, provided a striking example of natural selection in action.
The adaptive advantage conferred by the dark coloration allowed the dark peppered moths to thrive in the polluted environment, illustrating the impact of human industrial activities on ecological processes and the interconnectedness of species in an ecosystem.