Question
How do peppered moths after the Industrial Revolution show the process of natural selection? A. The moths with the highest fitness were selected for. B. The moths with the highest fitness became less common. C. The moths with the highest fitness were not able to reproduce. D. The moths with the highest fitness were selected against.
Answer
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Lucas
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Answer
A. The moths with the highest fitness were selected for.
Explanation
The peppered moths after the Industrial Revolution are a classic example of natural selection in action. During the Industrial Revolution, pollution caused the trees in many areas to become soot-covered. This environmental change made the white-colored moths more visible to predators, while the darker-colored moths became less visible. As a result, the darker-colored moths had a higher survival rate and were more likely to reproduce. Over time, the population shifted towards an increased frequency of the darker-colored moths, illustrating natural selection where the trait that provided better camouflage (and therefore higher fitness) became more common.