Question

In an industrial area, a peppered moth is able to survive in contrast to light coloured moth because:

• A. It is able to reproduce more.
• B. It is naturally selected in the smoky environment.
• C. It shows mimicry.
• D. It undergoes lethal mutations.

Answer 1

The correct option is B It is naturally selected in the smoky environment.

The evolution of the peppered moth is an evolutionary instance of colour variation in the moth population as a consequence of industrial revolution. Specifically, it is a concept of increase in number of dark-coloured moths due to industrial pollution and reciprocal decrease of the population under clean environment. Hence, the phenomenon is called as industrial melanism. It is a first recorded and experimented case of Charles Darwin's natural selection in action and remains as a classic example in the teaching of evolution. Light-coloured body was an effective camouflage in clean environment, such as in Dorset while dark colour was beneficial in polluted environment like in Birmingham. This selective survival was due to birds which easily caught dark moths on clean trees, and white moths on trees darkened with soot. So, in an industrial area, a peppered moth is able to survive in contrast to light coloured moth because it is naturally selected in the smoky environment and not because reproduce more, shows mimicry and undergo lethal mutations.

Therefore, the correct answer is option B.