The peppered moth (Biston betularia) is an insect common to Europe and North America and has two phenotypes, light-colored and dark-colored. Before the Industrial Revolution in the UK, the light-colored moth was more common, but as industrialization went on, forests became polluted and trees darkened. Light-colored moths became more vulnerable to predation than before, while dark-colored moths could evade predation, survive, and reproduce. As a result, the frequency of dark-colored moths increased to represent more than 80% of the population by 1959.

Question

Given this information, would the peppered moth be an example of the theory of natural selection? Why or why not?
(1 point)
Responses

Yes, the given information offers a description of the phenomenon involving the peppered moth.
Yes, the given information offers a description of the phenomenon involving the peppered moth.
No, the given information offers a description of the phenomenon involving the peppered moth.
No, the given information offers a description of the phenomenon involving the peppered moth.
Yes, the given information offers an explanation of how and why the dark peppered moth increased in the population.
Yes, the given information offers an explanation of how and why the dark peppered moth increased in the population.
No, the given information offers an explanation of how and why the dark peppered moth increased in the population.

Answer 1

Yes, the given information offers an explanation of how and why the dark peppered moth increased in the population.

This example illustrates the theory of natural selection, as the change in the environment (pollution darkening the trees) affected the survival of the different moth phenotypes. The dark-colored moths had a survival advantage in the polluted environment, leading to an increase in their frequency within the population.