Variations in a population of moths allow for some of its members to be able to
ID: 88524 • Letter: V
Question
Variations in a population of moths allow for some of its members to be able to adapt to environmental changes. The better adapted of the moths will be able to survive the change and thus prevail as the “fittest” of the species. (a) Describe three mechanisms in which variation can occur within a species population. (b) Explain which mechanism or mechanisms would be responsible for the survival of a population of peppered moths better than white moths in an environment affected by industrial soot. Justify your answer.
Explanation / Answer
(a) There are three primary sources of genetic variation:
(b) Natural selection of peppered moths over white moths:
Moths tend to rest on tree trunks during the day. It would probably be a good thing if the moths look similar to the trees that they rest on as they can be camouflaged from birds that want to eat them.
As the trees darkened with soot, the white moths were easier to see. They are eaten by birds more and more, while the dark colored moths blended in better on the darker trees. This made the dark colored moths have a higher survival rate. They lived longer and passed their dark colored genes onto their offspring or young. Hence after a period of time there are significantly more number of peppered moths over white moths in areas affected by industrial soot. This process is called natural selection.
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