Question

1. experiment: click play and hunt peppered moths on light tree trunks for five years. in each year, try to capture as many moths as you can. note: you can use the spacebar on your keyboard to quickly advance to the next tree.

after 5 years, select the table tab and record the percentages of each moth type. (note: the table shows current populations of each moth, not the number of captured moths.)

1. analyze: what do your results show? light moths live longer on light trees while darks moths dont

1. apply: which type of moth do you think was more common before the 19th century, when most trees were light in color?

1. extend your thinking: what strategies did you use to hunt for moths?

Explanation:

1. The table shows dark moth populations decline (from 50% to 5%) while light moth populations rise (from 50% to 95%) over 5 years on light tree trunks, demonstrating better survival for light moths in this environment.
2. Before the 19th century, most tree trunks were light-colored, so light moths would have better camouflage and higher survival rates, making them more common.
3. A typical strategy is to scan light tree trunks for the more visible dark moths first, using the spacebar to quickly move between trees to maximize captures.

Answer:

1. Light-colored moths have a much higher survival rate on light tree trunks, as their population percentage increases significantly over 5 years, while dark moth populations decline sharply.
2. Light-colored moths
3. A common strategy is to prioritize spotting and capturing dark moths first (since they are more visible against light tree trunks) and use the spacebar to quickly switch between trees to catch as many moths as possible.