Question

Explain the 'industrial melanism' in peppered moth?

Answer 1

In England, before industrialization, white bodied peppered moths were prevalent when compared to the black bodies ones due to better camouflage they had on clean trees. Once industrialization started, the trees accumulated soot from the pollution hence the white moths were clearly spotted against the dark background and were easily eaten by birds. Now, the black bodies moths got a survival advantage since they could not be easily spotted against dark backgrounds by birds and were not easily eaten by them. This made the black bodies moths to be naturally selected and they increased in numbers. This is a perfect example of natural selection put forth by Darwin.