Natural Selection Answer Key

Vocabulary: biological evolution, camouflage, Industrial Revolution, lichen, morph, natural

selection, peppered moth

Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.)

[Note: The purpose of these questions is to activate prior knowledge and get students thinking.
Students are not expected to know the answers to the Prior Knowledge Questions.]

The peppered moth (Biston betularia) is a common moth

found in Europe, Asia, and North America. It is commonly
found in two forms, or morphs: a dark morph and a light,
speckled morph. Birds are a frequent predator of the
peppered moth.

1. Which morph do you think would be easier to see on a

dark tree trunk? Light moths

2. Which morph do you think would be easier to see on a

light tree trunk? Dark moths

Gizmo Warm-up
The Natural Selection Gizmo™ allows you to play the role of
a bird feeding on peppered moths. The initial population of
40 moths is scattered over 20 tree trunks. Click on moths to
capture them. Click the Next tree button or hit the spacebar
on your keyboard to advance to the next tree.

1. Check that LIGHT TREES is selected. Click Start and

hunt moths for one year.

A. How many dark moths did you capture? Results

will vary.
How many moths can you find?
B. How many light moths did you capture? Results will vary.

C. Camouflage is coloring or patterns that help an organism to blend in with the

background. Which type of moth is better camouflaged on light bark? Light moths

2. If a forest contained mostly light-colored trees, which type of moth would you expect to be

most common? Light moths would be more common because they are better camouflaged.
 Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity A:
 Click Reset.
Light trees
 Check that the LIGHT TREES tab is selected.

Introduction: Before the 19th century in England, the air was very clean. The bark on trees was
usually light in color. Abundant lichens growing on tree trunks also lightened their appearance.

Question: How does the color of a peppered moth affect survival?

1. Predict: Over time, what will to happen to the populations of light and dark moths on light

trees? Predictions will vary.

2. Experiment: Click Start and hunt peppered moths on light tree trunks for five years. In each
year, try to capture as many moths as you can. (Hint: Use the spacebar on your keyboard
to advance to the next tree.)

After 5 years, select the TABLE tab and record the percentages of each moth type. (Note:
The table shows current populations of each moth, not the number of captured moths.)

Experimental results will vary. Sample results are shown below:

Year Dark moths Light moths
0 50% 50%
1 35% 65%
2 25% 75%
3 4% 96%
4 7% 93%
5 0% 100%

3. Analyze: What do your results show?

Over time, the proportion of dark moths decreases while the proportion of light moths
increases.

4. Apply: Which type of moth do you think was more common before the 19th century, when

most trees were light in color? Light moths were probably more common.

5. Extend your thinking: What strategies did you use to hunt for moths? Strategies will vary.
 Get the Gizmo ready:
Activity B:
 Click Reset.
Dark trees
 Select the DARK TREES tab.

Introduction: The 19th century was the time of the Industrial Revolution in England. Most of
the new industries used coal for energy, and the air was polluted with black soot. In forests near
factories, the soot coated trees and killed lichens. As a result, tree trunks became darker.

Question: How did air pollution affect moth populations?

1. Predict: Over time, what will to happen to the populations of light and dark moths on dark

trees? Predictions will vary.

2. Experiment: Click Start and hunt peppered moths on dark tree trunks for five years. In each
year, try to capture as many moths as you can. (Hint: You can use the spacebar on your
keyboard to advance to the next tree.)

When you are done, select the TABLE tab and record the percentages of each moth type.

Experimental results will vary. Sample results are shown below:

Year Dark moths Light moths
0 50% 50%
1 83% 17%
2 94% 6%
3 95% 5%
4 94% 6%
5 100% 0%

3. Analyze: What do your results show?

Over time, the proportion of dark moths increases while the proportion of light moths
decreases.

4. Apply: Which type of moth do you think was more common during the 19th century? Why?

Dark moths were probably more common because they were harder to see on the soot-
darkened tree trunks.

(Activity B continued on next page)

Activity B (continued from previous page)

5. Draw conclusions: Natural selection is the process by which favorable traits tend to
increase in frequency over time. How does this experiment illustrate natural selection?

Answers will vary. Sample answer:

In each experiment, the favorable trait was the trait that allowed the moth to blend in more
effectively to the tree-trunk background. When trees were light in color, the light-colored
moths increased in frequency. When trees were dark in color, the dark-colored moths
increased in frequency.

6. Think and discuss: Did the changes you observed in the moth populations result from
individual moths changing colors? Or did they occur because the best-hidden moths
survived and reproduced, passing on their colors to their offspring? Explain your answer.

Answers will vary. Sample answer:

No individual moths changed colors. Each year, the best-hidden moths survived and
reproduced. This caused an increase in the frequency of well-hidden moths over time.

7. Extend your thinking: Biological evolution is the process by which populations of

organisms change over time. How could natural selection lead to evolution? If possible,
discuss your answer with your classmates and teacher.

Answers will vary. Sample answer:

In this simulation, natural selection caused the populations of moths to change in color. This
is an example of evolution because evolution is any change in a population over time. Other
variations could occur in the moths, allowing them to be even better camouflaged than they
currently are. If this happened, natural selection would cause that new trait to spread
throughout the population.