Peppered moths in London changed colors over times in order to blend in with their changing environments. This is evolution in action.
What happened with the Pepper moths? How & why did the moths change? How does this phenomenon illustrate Darwin's principles of evolution? Give at least 3 principles illustrated by this example & explain your reasoning.
2007-01-18 15:40:30 · 2 answers · asked by JoAnna 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Okay, I am not going to do your whole assignment for you, but here is a homework hint...
The moths used to be white, with a few dark spots. The trees used to have whitish bark and brown spots. There were actually moths of all degrees of brown spots (up to all brown), but these were easily spotted by birds - and eaten.
As a result of pollution, the bark became coated with soot, so now the whiter moths show up.
What gets eaten now?
2007-01-18 15:49:01 · answer #1 · answered by Loulabelle 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The peppered moths displayed what Darwin called natural selection. The gray moth was dominant because of the abundance of white birch trees. They could hide from predators better than the black ones which were easily seen. As the industrial revolution started, soot accumulated in the atmosphere and the blackened the trees. As a result the white moths declined in numbers while the black moths expanded. Evolution selected against white moths so they were being eliminated by predators. The species that survives is the one most capable of coping with different conditions, plasticity, Natural selection does not favour a particulat species, only the one best adapted to its environment.
2007-01-19 01:01:28 · answer #2 · answered by El C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋