Middle School

What caused the dark peppered moth to flourish after the Industrial Revolution?

A. the ability to fly
B. darkening of the sky
C. darkening of tree bark
D. darkening of the ground

Answer :

The dark peppered moth flourished after the industrial revolution due to the darkening of the trees bark.


Further Explanation:

The experiment that can help in the testing of natural selection can be designed by growing a population of butterflies that have normal variation in coloration and then introducing the population with natural predators. This would lead to the predation of only those butterflies that are visible to predators, and thus, the camouflaged butterflies would be naturally selected.


As seen in the era of the Industrial revolution, the bark of the trees had a soot deposition due to increased air pollution. Air pollution in the area led to the change in the population of the non-melanic moth as they were easily visible.In the case of area, that is heavily polluted, the dark color of the bark helps the melanic moth to camouflage thereby decreasing the chances of it being predated.If there is a drop in the pollution there will be a considerable change in the bark color. This bark change will make the moths visible to the predatory birds thereby increasing the chances of it being preyed.


Learn More:

  1. Learn more about the treatment of eukaryotic cell with a drug https://brainly.com/question/10767798
  2. Learn more about the proteins synthesis in a cell https://brainly.com/question/1420458
  3. Learn more about the exchange of gases by blood cells https://brainly.com/question/1213217


Answer Details:

Grade: High School

Subject: Biology

Chapter: Evolution


Keywords:

Population, moths, camouflage, predators, bird, preyed, the industrial revolution, naturally selected, bark, tree, butterflies, variation, deposition.

Final answer:

The flourishing of dark peppered moths post-Industrial Revolution was a result of the darkening of tree bark due to pollution. This environmental change led to better camouflage for darker moths against predators, illustrating natural selection.

Explanation:

The dark peppered moth flourished after the Industrial Revolution primarily due to the darkening of tree bark as a result of pollution. As factories released vast quantities of coal smoke, soot accumulated on trees, killing lichens and darkening their bark. This environmental change offered a survival advantage to the darker-colored moths. Initially, the light-colored moths were well-camouflaged against the pristine, lichen-covered trees, thereby escaping predation. However, as the trees darkened, these moths became highly visible targets for birds, whereas their darker counterparts became better camouflaged. This shift in predation dynamics led to a dramatic increase in the population of dark-colored moths, encapsulating a real-world example of natural selection in action. This phenomenon, known as industrial melanism, serves as a textbook example of how human activities can directly impact wildlife by altering their natural selection pressures.