Answer :
Answer:
The correct answer would be C. , Darkening of tree bark because they could not blend in anymore.
Explanation:
Final answer:
The dark pepper moth became more prevalent after the Industrial Revolution due to the darkening of the tree bark, which helped them camouflage better against predators. This is an example of directional selection and the phenotypic change is a result of selective predation, favoring moths that were less visible to predators.
Explanation:
The dark pepper moth flourished after the Industrial Revolution primarily due to the darkening of the tree bark. During the Industrial Revolution, factories emitted large amounts of soot that settled on trees, killing the lichens that covered them and darkening the trunks. This environmental change gave the dark-colored peppered moths, known as Industrial Melanism, a survival advantage because they were better camouflaged against predators such as birds. This effectively illustrates directional selection, where the prevalence of the darker moths increased in the population as they were less visible to predators against the soot-covered trees. Conversely, the light-colored moths stood out and were more likely to be preyed upon, leading to their decline.
In terms of natural selection, J.W. Tutt hypothesized in 1896 that the shift from light to dark-colored moths was due to selective predation by birds. The darker moths were able to survive and reproduce at a higher rate, passing their dark pigment alleles to the next generation, leading to the dark color becoming more common in moth populations over time. By 1895, the black moth phenotype accounted for 98% of observed moths in polluted areas. This adaptation for survival in response to an environmental change is a classic example studied in evolutionary biology.
