Bark moths, such as the peppered moth, gained a survival advantage through their ability to camouflage with their environment. During the Industrial Revolution, the darkening of tree bark due to soot made lighter-colored moths more visible to predators, while darker moths blended in better. This natural selection favored the dark-colored moths, allowing them to survive and reproduce more effectively in polluted areas. Consequently, their population increased, demonstrating the role of environmental changes in evolutionary adaptations.
The light moths may be more visible to predators against the dark tree bark, making them more vulnerable to predation. Over time, this could shift the moth population towards individuals with darker coloration to better blend in with their surroundings and improve their chances of survival. This concept is known as natural selection.
One type of variation among peppered moths is color variation, primarily between light and dark forms. This polymorphism is a response to environmental factors, particularly the level of pollution in their habitats. In industrial areas where soot darkened tree bark, dark-colored moths had a survival advantage due to better camouflage against predators. Conversely, in cleaner environments, lighter moths were favored, illustrating natural selection in action.
They will adapt to the environment and become dark-colored moths.
The trends in the proportion of black peppered moths are primarily attributed to industrial pollution during the Industrial Revolution in England. As soot and pollutants darkened tree bark, the lighter-colored moths became more visible to predators, leading to a decline in their population. Conversely, the darker moths had a survival advantage in this environment, leading to an increase in their numbers. When pollution control measures were implemented, the environment began to recover, allowing lighter moths to regain their prevalence.
because they camoflauge with the pollution thus ensuring their survival and their rate of survival greater than the moths of pale color
Moths with lighter coloration were more visible against the darkened bark (as a result of the soot) and were thus more easily spotted by predators. Moths with darker coloration had a selective advantage as they were less visible to predators.
They were always around but they were more visible on light colored tree bark so birds ate more of them than the light colored moths that were better camouflaged. Once the soot stained the trees the light colored moths were more visible so, the dark colored moths had an adaptive advantage because they were better camouflaged against the dark bark.
Flying
When the tree trunks darkened due to pollution, the dark-colored moths had a survival advantage because they were better camouflaged against the trees, making them less visible to predators. As a result, the population of dark moths increased over time, while the white moths became more vulnerable and their numbers declined. This phenomenon is an example of natural selection, where environmental changes influence which traits are favored in a population.
One of Kettlewell's predictions was that the frequency of dark-colored moths would increase in polluted areas due to natural selection. He hypothesized that the darker moths would have a survival advantage against predation on soot-darkened tree trunks, while lighter moths would be more easily spotted by predators. This prediction was supported by his experiments, which demonstrated a correlation between industrial pollution and the prevalence of melanistic moths in certain regions.
The peppered moths with light-colored wings decreased in population after the trees turned black, while the peppered moths with dark-colored wings increased in population. A reasonable hypothesis is that the moths with dark-colored wings had a survival advantage in the new environment as they were better camouflaged against the black trees, while the light-colored moths became more visible to predators.
The gene for dark coloration in peppered moths likely originated as a mutation in the population. This mutation provided an advantage in industrial areas where soot-darkened trees made lighter-colored moths more visible to predators. As a result, the darker moths had higher survival rates and reproductive success, leading to an increase in the frequency of the dark coloration gene in the population over time, a phenomenon known as natural selection.