In the 1800s, a population of peppered moths was commonly found in the rural areas surrounding Manchester, England. Almost all the moths were white with small black stripes and spots, a coloring that was very similar to that of the trees the moths perched on while hiding from the birds that preyed on them. In the mid - 1800s, factories started to emerge in Manchester. The dark soot they belched out covered the surrounding tree trunks, making the light - colored bark turn dark. Around this time, a noticeable change began to occur in the moth population. Around 1850, some black peppered moths were seen in the rural areas. More and more appeared, and by the end of the 1800s, almost all of the peppered moths were black. In fact, very few light - colored moths were seen. Using Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, explain the change in the coloring of the moths. Use evidence from the passage above and your knowledge of the four parts of natural selection to support your answer

Question

Biology

Jaylah

18 December, 17:27

In the 1800s, a population of peppered moths was commonly found in the rural areas surrounding Manchester, England. Almost all the moths were white with small black stripes and spots, a coloring that was very similar to that of the trees the moths perched on while hiding from the birds that preyed on them. In the mid - 1800s, factories started to emerge in Manchester. The dark soot they belched out covered the surrounding tree trunks, making the light - colored bark turn dark. Around this time, a noticeable change began to occur in the moth population. Around 1850, some black peppered moths were seen in the rural areas. More and more appeared, and by the end of the 1800s, almost all of the peppered moths were black. In fact, very few light - colored moths were seen. Using Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, explain the change in the coloring of the moths. Use evidence from the passage above and your knowledge of the four parts of natural selection to support your answer

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Answers (1)

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London Robinson · Answer 1

The change in colour in the moths is explained below.

Explanation:

According to Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection, Darwin explains that always the organisms that are better adapted to the environment and those that can change with conditions can survive. The term 'Survival of the fittest' is often used to explain Darwin's theory.

The four main principles of Darwin's theory are:

1. Variation among species: According to the scenario in the question, most of the moths were white with small black stripes because they were better adapted to live in the environment. The population of black moths was very rare.

2. Overproduction: As offspring are produced, competition arises between them due to scarce amount of resources. As per the scenario in the question, during the 1850's the black moths were seen as well as the white moths.

3. Adaptation: The black moths with time became better adapted to survive in the environment. They were adapted with a colour similar to the change in the tree colours. Hence, survival of the fittest.

4. Survival and reproduction: As the black moths were more properly adapted to live in an environment with black trees, hence they survived and reproduced. By the end of the 1800s, the black moths were in the majority.