Question

natural selection: peppered moths

1. which form of moth is better adapted to living on the sooty tree? explain your answer.
2. during the 19th century, the populations of light colored and dark colored moths changed. use the line tool to draw a straight line for each moth population on this graph to show what you expect to happen over time.

population size (arbitrary units)
year
key
= dark colored moth population
= light colored moth population

Explanation:

1. The dark - colored moth is better adapted to living on the sooty tree. This is because its color provides camouflage against the dark, sooty background, making it less visible to predators.
2. During the 19th - century industrial revolution, pollution darkened tree trunks. As a result, the dark - colored moth population would likely increase over time as they had a survival advantage, while the light - colored moth population would likely decrease due to being more easily spotted by predators. To draw the lines on the graph: The line for the dark - colored moth population would slope upwards over time, and the line for the light - colored moth population would slope downwards over time.

Answer:

1. The dark - colored moth. Its color matches the sooty tree, providing camouflage from predators.
2. Draw an upward - sloping line for the dark - colored moth population and a downward - sloping line for the light - colored moth population on the graph with year on the x - axis and population size on the y - axis.