Question

what will most likely happen to the population of moths in this habitat?
the population of moths will eventually become extinct.
the moths will evolve from dark to light due to a selective pressure.
the dark colored moths will experience disruptive selection.
the alleles that determine light and dark color in moths will equalize.

Explanation:

This question is about moth evolution and natural selection. Let's analyze each option:

• Option 1: Saying the population will go extinct is too extreme without more info. The image shows light and dark moths, but no indication of total extinction factors.
• Option 2: The habitat (tree bark) looks light - colored. Dark moths are more visible to predators, so there's selective pressure (predation) favoring light moths. Over time, this can lead to evolution from dark to light as light - colored moths have a survival advantage and pass on their genes.
• Option 3: Disruptive selection favors extreme phenotypes at both ends, but here the environment seems to favor light over dark, not both extremes, so this is incorrect.
• Option 4: With selective pressure favoring light moths, the alleles for light color will increase, not equalize.

Answer:

B. The moths will evolve from dark to light due to a selective pressure.