Changes in DNA are known as mutations and can sometimes produce beneficial changes in populations. A mutant form of the ordinarily light-colored peppered moth is dark-colored. The dark-colored moth blends in with soot-covered trees in heavily polluted areas. Why would the dark-colored mutation be beneficial in a polluted area?

Question

Changes in DNA are known as mutations and can sometimes produce beneficial changes in populations. A mutant form of the ordinarily light-colored peppered moth is dark-colored. The dark-colored moth blends in with soot-covered trees in heavily polluted areas. Why would the dark-colored mutation be beneficial in a polluted area?
(5 Points)

They have a longer life span than light-colored moths.

They cannot be seen as well by predators.

They taste bad to most of their predators.

They produce more young than do light-colored moths.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The dark-colored mutation would be beneficial in a polluted area because **they cannot be seen as well by predators**. In environments where trees are covered in soot due to pollution, dark-colored moths are better camouflaged against the dark background, making them less visible to birds and other predators. This increased ability to evade predation would likely result in higher survival rates for the dark-colored moths, allowing them to reproduce more successfully than their lighter counterparts.