Question

in england, some peppered moths were white with black spots (moth a), and some peppered moths were darker (moth b). the moths lived on trees. the moths were food for many birds in the area. the bark on these trees turned black when factories began to pollute the air with soot. which statement best relates the population of the peppered moth to tree coloring? a in smoggy areas, dark moths have a higher survival rate than white moths. b white moths stand out in rural areas, and quickly disappear from those areas. c the black moth and white moth forms were actually two different species of moths. d environmental conditions do not affect physical features of a species over a short time period.

Explanation:

This question is about the peppered moth evolution, which is an example of natural selection. Let's analyze each option:

• Option A: In smoggy (polluted, so darker) areas, the dark moths (peppered moths with the dark phenotype) would be camouflaged better against the soot - covered trees. This means they are less likely to be eaten by birds (their predators), so they would have a higher survival rate than the white moths, which would stand out against the dark trees and be more likely to be preyed upon. This is consistent with the concept of natural selection in the peppered moth story.
• Option B: The white moths did not "quickly disappear" from rural areas. In rural areas with less pollution, the trees were lighter, so white moths were camouflaged and had a higher survival rate, while dark moths were more likely to be preyed upon. So this statement is incorrect.
• Option C: The black and white moth forms are not two different species. They are different phenotypes (color variations) of the same species (peppered moth, Biston betularia). So this statement is incorrect.
• Option D: Environmental conditions (like pollution changing the color of tree bark) do affect the physical traits of a species over time through natural selection. The moths with the trait (color) that was better adapted to the new environment (darker color in polluted areas, lighter color in non - polluted areas) had a higher survival and reproduction rate, leading to a change in the population's trait distribution over time. So this statement is incorrect.

Answer:

A