Peppered Moth Simulation Lab
PEPPERED MOTH SIMULATION LAB
SANTIAGO JACOME
THE VICTORIA SCHOOL
BIOLOGY SL
Data and Analysis
Life Cycle of the Peppered Moth:
Because their light wings are peppered with small dark spots. Predators of the peppered moth are flycatchers, nuthatches and the European robin. Larvae feed on the leaves of birch, willow, and oak trees. They change into pupae (cocoons) for the winter. They are given the name of carbonaria when black spots are present.
Impact of Pollution:
Near the centre of Manchester during the industrial revolution the first moth was discovered, this was a process on the 19th century in which England especially faced a change and factories were build and they ran by burning coal for fuel, this result on a dark smoke surrounding the countryside, scientists started to study the difference on the color of the moths, and some think they were changing their …show more content…
colors the same way the larvae could match the color of the twigs. Others fought the chemical in the smoke darkened the moths. Natural selection was proposed by Charles Darwin to explain how new species evolve. All types of living organisms have small differences between the individuals in the species. If one of those differences allows the individual to live longer, they will have more offspring. As that trait is passed on, the species starts to look more like the successful individual. Over time the species change. At the same time in 1986 J.W Tutt suggested that the peppered moths were an example of natural selection. Industrial Melanism is the process in which over 100 species of moth were observed to darken over time in polluted forests.
Kettlewell Experiments:
An entomologist is a scientist who studies the field of insects; it’s a branch of arthropodology.
Scientists test theories by making prediction based on the theory. Then they test the prediction to see if what they observe matches their expectations. Kettlewell did several of this tests predictions on of them being: Heavily polluted forest will have mostly dark peppered moths. Studies showed that most of the population of this dark peppered moths were found near the industrial cities producing pollution. To carry his studies Kettlewell carried out comparison of the data during this time and data carried out time before the Industrial Revolution when dark moths were absent. Based on his studies he concluded that dark moths have a survival advantage as they were less likely to be eaten by birds than the light moths. Then he placed set of moths on clean forests and dark forest and he observed how light moths were more likely to live on clean forests than the dark ones, meanwhile the dark ones were more likely to live on the dark forests. Kettlewell published his finding on Scientific American on
1959.
Birdseye View: Dark Moths (%)
Light Moths (%)
Light Forest
35
65
Dark Forest
72
28
Final Analysis: The color of the moths is an important factor as it may increase or decrease their chance of survival on either forest, as dark moths in light forest have less chances of survival due to the fact they are more easy to see due to their color meanwhile in the dark forest its population prevails much more unlike the light moths. Natural as seen on moths is an interesting topic as with moths we can observe how their need to survive is what makes then to adapt and evolute as an species. Without predators moths wouldn’t need to change their colors to adapts to that particular environment as their chances of survival from predators are intact.
Conclusion:
As we can observe from this lab repot natural selection is a mainstream topic on the study of evolution, as we can observe how it may affect the change of some species being them able to adapt to new environments and towards new hostilities all because of their instinct to survive, seen on this example with the moths as we can observe how they change depending on their environment and the complications of it.
Evaluation:
To evaluate this lab report is easy to asses it as it’s a valuable exercise to able to understand the implication of natural selection and how it works.
References
http://www.techapps.net/interactives/pepperMoths.swf
SANTIAGO JACOME
THE VICTORIA SCHOOL
BIOLOGY SL
Data and Analysis
Life Cycle of the Peppered Moth:
Because their light wings are peppered with small dark spots. Predators of the peppered moth are flycatchers, nuthatches and the European robin. Larvae feed on the leaves of birch, willow, and oak trees. They change into pupae (cocoons) for the winter. They are given the name of carbonaria when black spots are present.
Impact of Pollution:
Near the centre of Manchester during the industrial revolution the first moth was discovered, this was a process on the 19th century in which England especially faced a change and factories were build and they ran by burning coal for fuel, this result on a dark smoke surrounding the countryside, scientists started to study the difference on the color of the moths, and some think they were changing their …show more content…
colors the same way the larvae could match the color of the twigs. Others fought the chemical in the smoke darkened the moths. Natural selection was proposed by Charles Darwin to explain how new species evolve. All types of living organisms have small differences between the individuals in the species. If one of those differences allows the individual to live longer, they will have more offspring. As that trait is passed on, the species starts to look more like the successful individual. Over time the species change. At the same time in 1986 J.W Tutt suggested that the peppered moths were an example of natural selection. Industrial Melanism is the process in which over 100 species of moth were observed to darken over time in polluted forests.
Kettlewell Experiments:
An entomologist is a scientist who studies the field of insects; it’s a branch of arthropodology.
Scientists test theories by making prediction based on the theory. Then they test the prediction to see if what they observe matches their expectations. Kettlewell did several of this tests predictions on of them being: Heavily polluted forest will have mostly dark peppered moths. Studies showed that most of the population of this dark peppered moths were found near the industrial cities producing pollution. To carry his studies Kettlewell carried out comparison of the data during this time and data carried out time before the Industrial Revolution when dark moths were absent. Based on his studies he concluded that dark moths have a survival advantage as they were less likely to be eaten by birds than the light moths. Then he placed set of moths on clean forests and dark forest and he observed how light moths were more likely to live on clean forests than the dark ones, meanwhile the dark ones were more likely to live on the dark forests. Kettlewell published his finding on Scientific American on
1959.
Birdseye View: Dark Moths (%)
Light Moths (%)
Light Forest
35
65
Dark Forest
72
28
Final Analysis: The color of the moths is an important factor as it may increase or decrease their chance of survival on either forest, as dark moths in light forest have less chances of survival due to the fact they are more easy to see due to their color meanwhile in the dark forest its population prevails much more unlike the light moths. Natural as seen on moths is an interesting topic as with moths we can observe how their need to survive is what makes then to adapt and evolute as an species. Without predators moths wouldn’t need to change their colors to adapts to that particular environment as their chances of survival from predators are intact.
Conclusion:
As we can observe from this lab repot natural selection is a mainstream topic on the study of evolution, as we can observe how it may affect the change of some species being them able to adapt to new environments and towards new hostilities all because of their instinct to survive, seen on this example with the moths as we can observe how they change depending on their environment and the complications of it.
Evaluation:
To evaluate this lab report is easy to asses it as it’s a valuable exercise to able to understand the implication of natural selection and how it works.
References
http://www.techapps.net/interactives/pepperMoths.swf