Starting in 1850, when Europe become industrialized, the frequency of melanic forms of the peppered moth in populations Blank______ until they made up Blank______ of some population.Multiple choice question.increased; about 50%increased; almost 100%decreased; no more than 1%
Question
Starting in 1850, when Europe become industrialized, the frequency of melanic forms of the peppered moth in populations Blank______ until they made up Blank______ of some population.Multiple choice question.increased; about 50%increased; almost 100%decreased; no more than 1%
Solution
The correct answer is "increased; about 50%".
Here's why:
During the Industrial Revolution in Europe, which began around 1850, the frequency of melanic (dark-colored) forms of the peppered moth increased. This was due to the pollution caused by industrialization, which darkened the trees and buildings where the moths lived. The darker moths were better camouflaged against predators in this new environment, so they survived and reproduced at higher rates than the lighter-colored moths. This is a classic example of natural selection in action.
However, the melanic forms never made up 100% of the population. Even at the height of industrial pollution, there were still areas where the environment was lighter and the lighter-colored moths had an advantage. So, the frequency of melanic forms increased to about 50% of the population, but not to almost 100%.
Similar Questions
Scientists have observed that when air pollution is significantly reduced, the frequency of the melanic form of peppered moths Blank______.Multiple choice question.decreasesrandomly fluctuatesincreasesremains constant
The observation that the relative frequencies of melanic to light peppered moths changes with the color of tree bark provides support for Blank______.Multiple choice question.human-induced selectionnatural selectionindustrial selectionindustrial pollution
In certain polluted areas of the world, populations of moths have been shown to change over the years with dark forms becoming more abundant than light forms; this phenomenon is called Blank______.Multiple choice question.industrial melanismartificial melanismpollution melanismnatural melanism
In 1896, J. W. Tutt proposed that light colored peppered moths were more visible to predators on Blank______.Multiple choice question.the trunks of white birch treestrees that have died due to heavy pollutionsooty trees that have lost their lichens due to pollution
The most commonly accepted hypothesis that explains industrial melanism and the reversal of industrial melanism is that Blank______.Multiple choice question.moths with coloration that matches their background are less susceptible to predation by birdspollution causes the leaves of trees to fold, providing less resting places for the light colored mothspollution tends to kill off light colored trees which are typically used by light colored moths
Upgrade your grade with Knowee
Get personalized homework help. Review tough concepts in more detail, or go deeper into your topic by exploring other relevant questions.