Life Cycle of the Peppered Moth
1. Why are these moths called "peppered moths?"
Their wings are peppered with small dots.
2. What animals eat the peppered moth?
Fly catchers, nuthatches, and the European robin.
3. What is a lichen?
Small fungi.
4. What do the larvae of the moth eat?
Leaves of birch, willow, and oak trees.
5. How do peppered moths spend the winter?
Inside of a cocoon.
6. Moths that have more dark spots than the average moth are called what?
Insularia.
Impact of Pollution
7. Where was the first black form of the moth found?
Manchester.
8. What was the Industrial Revolution?
Where goods produced by hand started being made by machines in factories.
9. What was causing the different colors in the moths?
A mutation in the DNA.
10. What is natural selection?
When stronger animals live and the weaker die.
11. Who suggested that peppered moths were an example of natural selection?
J.W. Tutt.
12. What is industrial melanism?
When over 100 moths formed to darker moths in polluted forests.
Kettlewell's Experiments
13. What is an entomologist?
A scientist who studies insects.
14. How do scientists test theories?
Making predictions based on the theory. They test the prediction to see if it matches their expectations.
15. Write down ONE of Kettlewell's predictions.
Clean forests will have mostly light peppered moths.
16. Dark moths were found in what parts of the country?
Near industrial cities.
17. How did Kettlewell directly study the moths?
He placed a light and dark moth on a tree trunk and recorded every time a bird found the moth.
18. Why did dark moths have a survival advantage?
They were harder to see.
19. When Kettlewell recaptured the marked moths, what did he find?
Twice as many light moths survived in a clean forest, but half as many in a dark forest.
20. Where did Kettlewell publish his findings?
In an article '' Scientific Americans.''
Birdseye View
21. Open the simulation and play the role of the bird in both the dark and the light forest. Try to behave as a bird would behave, choosing the moths that are the most obvious. At the end of each simulation, record the percent of moths captured in the table below.
Light Forest
Before: Light moths- 50% Dark moth- 50% After: Light moths- 66% Dark moths- 34%
Dark Forest Before: Both 50% After: Light moths -43% Dark Moths- 57%
Final Analysis
22. Explain how the color of the moths increases or decreases their chances of survival.
They can blend in or be easily seen depending on their color and the surrounding areas colors.
23. Explain the concept of "natural selection" using your moths as an example.
The more camouflaged ones survived while the more visible were eaten.
24. What would happen if there were no predators in the forest? Would the colors of the moths change over time? Defend your answer? Yes, with less predators there will be more dark moths to breed with making more dark moths.
1. Why are these moths called "peppered moths?"
Their wings are peppered with small dots.
2. What animals eat the peppered moth?
Fly catchers, nuthatches, and the European robin.
3. What is a lichen?
Small fungi.
4. What do the larvae of the moth eat?
Leaves of birch, willow, and oak trees.
5. How do peppered moths spend the winter?
Inside of a cocoon.
6. Moths that have more dark spots than the average moth are called what?
Insularia.
Impact of Pollution
7. Where was the first black form of the moth found?
Manchester.
8. What was the Industrial Revolution?
Where goods produced by hand started being made by machines in factories.
9. What was causing the different colors in the moths?
A mutation in the DNA.
10. What is natural selection?
When stronger animals live and the weaker die.
11. Who suggested that peppered moths were an example of natural selection?
J.W. Tutt.
12. What is industrial melanism?
When over 100 moths formed to darker moths in polluted forests.
Kettlewell's Experiments
13. What is an entomologist?
A scientist who studies insects.
14. How do scientists test theories?
Making predictions based on the theory. They test the prediction to see if it matches their expectations.
15. Write down ONE of Kettlewell's predictions.
Clean forests will have mostly light peppered moths.
16. Dark moths were found in what parts of the country?
Near industrial cities.
17. How did Kettlewell directly study the moths?
He placed a light and dark moth on a tree trunk and recorded every time a bird found the moth.
18. Why did dark moths have a survival advantage?
They were harder to see.
19. When Kettlewell recaptured the marked moths, what did he find?
Twice as many light moths survived in a clean forest, but half as many in a dark forest.
20. Where did Kettlewell publish his findings?
In an article '' Scientific Americans.''
Birdseye View
21. Open the simulation and play the role of the bird in both the dark and the light forest. Try to behave as a bird would behave, choosing the moths that are the most obvious. At the end of each simulation, record the percent of moths captured in the table below.
Light Forest
Before: Light moths- 50% Dark moth- 50% After: Light moths- 66% Dark moths- 34%
Dark Forest Before: Both 50% After: Light moths -43% Dark Moths- 57%
Final Analysis
22. Explain how the color of the moths increases or decreases their chances of survival.
They can blend in or be easily seen depending on their color and the surrounding areas colors.
23. Explain the concept of "natural selection" using your moths as an example.
The more camouflaged ones survived while the more visible were eaten.
24. What would happen if there were no predators in the forest? Would the colors of the moths change over time? Defend your answer? Yes, with less predators there will be more dark moths to breed with making more dark moths.