Before the Industrial Revolution, light-colored peppered moths (Biston betularia) were common because they…

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Before the Industrial Revolution, light-colored peppered moths (Biston betularia) were common because they were camouflaged against light-colored, lichen-covered tree trunks, making them less visibl

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11) Industrial melanism is the evolutionary process in which the frequency of dark-colored (melanic) forms of organisms increases in populations exposed to industrial pollution. Step 1: Before the Industrial Revolution, light-colored peppered moths (Biston betularia) were common because they were camouflaged against light-colored, lichen-covered tree trunks, making them less visible to predators. Dark-colored moths were rare. Step 2: Industrial pollution darkened tree trunks with soot and killed lichens. This made the light-colored moths conspicuous and the dark-colored moths camouflaged. Step 3: Predators (birds) preferentially ate the more visible light-colored moths, while the dark-colored moths survived and reproduced more successfully. Step 4: Over time, the frequency of the dark-colored allele increased in the population, leading to a higher proportion of dark-colored moths. This shift in population characteristics due to environmental change and differential survival demonstrates natural selection and provides strong evidence for evolution.

Before the Industrial Revolution, light-colored peppered moths (Biston betularia) were common because they were camouflaged against light-colored, lichen-covered tree trunks, making them less visibl

Step-by-step solution

Before the Industrial Revolution, light-colored peppered moths (Biston betularia) were common because they were camouflaged against light-colored, lichen-covered tree trunks, making them less visible to predators.

Industrial pollution darkened tree trunks with soot and killed lichens.

Predators (birds) preferentially ate the more visible light-colored moths, while the dark-colored moths survived and reproduced more successfully.

Over time, the frequency of the dark-colored allele increased in the population, leading to a higher proportion of dark-colored moths.

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