Peppered Moth Webquest http://www.techapps.net/
Life cycle of Peppered Moths
1. Name 3 predators of the peppered moth.
flycatchers, nuthatches, European robin
2. Identify one behavioral adaptation of the peppered moth.
fly at night, and rest during the day
3. The peppered moth uses camouflage as an adaptation. Describe 2 ways the peppered moth uses
camouflage to survive.
Larvae look like a small branch to hide from predators. Larvae can change their color to match the tree
they are on. Their wings look like the lichen on the tree they live on.
4. Describe two varieties of the peppered moth, include their scientific name.
Carbonaria are light with dark, black bodies. Insularia have more dark spots
Impact of Pollution
1. What year did RS Edleston catch the first dark peppered moth? 1848
2. By 1900 what was the percentage of dark peppered moths? 98%
3. What was going on in England to cause the trees to become darker?
Industrial Revolution
4. What caused the dark color in the moths?
The dark color was caused by a mutation in the DNA of a single moth and the mutated gene had been
passed to all its offspring.
5. Genetics explained the dark color of the moths. What explained why the dark colored moths were
taking over?
Natural Selection
6. Complete the summary of Natural Selection.
Natural Selection was proposed by Charles Darwin to explain how new species evolve. All types of
living things 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. Overtime, the species changes.
7. In the last 50 years, most industrial countries have reduced the amount of pollution. Based on the
theory of natural selection, describe the moth population today.
The dark moths are dropping because the forests are becoming cleaner.
Dr. Kettlewell's Experiment
1. What was Dr. Kettlewell 's question for his experiment?
Dr. Kettlewell wanted to know if natural selection had caused the rise in the black peppered moth
population.
2. How do scientists test theories?
Scientists make predictions based on the theory, then test the prediction to see if their observations
match their expectations.
3. Complete Dr. Kettlewell's hypothesis.
- Heavily polluted forests will have mostly dark moths.
- Clean forests will have mostly light peppered moths.
-Dark moths resting on dark trees are more likely than light moths to be eaten by birds. The reverse
should be true on light trees.
-Dark moths released into polluted forests would live longer than light moths, but die sooner in cleaner
forests.
Which statement do you disagree with based on what you have read so far?
Dark moths resting on dark trees are more likely than light moths to be eaten by birds. The reverse
should be true for light trees.
4. What did the work of the amateur entomologists show?
In industrial cities producing pollution, high populations of dark moths were found. In the countryside,
not darkened by soot, dark moths were rare.
5. After researching the data from past studies, what did Dr. Kettlewell conclude?
Dark moths were almost completely absent before the industrial revolution and now found only where
forests were polluted.
6. Fill in the steps of Dr. Kettlewell's experiment.
1. Release light and dark moths on to trunks of trees.
2. Record when a bird found a moth.
7. After analyzing the data, Dr. Kettlewell concluded:
On dark tree trunks, birds were twice as likely to eat a light moth as a dark moth. The same
birds would find the dark moth on the light trees.
What idea does this support?
Dark moths had a survival advantage in a dark forest.
8. Fill in the blanks for the 2nd experiment:
Hypothesis: Dark moths live longer in dark forests.
Test hypothesis:
1. He released groups of light and dark moths.
2. All captured moths were marked so they could be identified if recaptured.
3. After the marking, both groups were released into the wild.
4. Two days later, moth traps were used to recapture the moths.
9. Analyze the data:
In clean forests, twice as many light moths lived to be recaptured as the dark moths.
Only half of the light moths were recaptured in the dark forests.
10. Draw a Conclusion:
If the moth's color matched the environment, it had a better chance of survival.
11. Communicate Results: How did Dr. Kettlewell communicate his results ( include year, magazine,
and what he reported)
In 1959, Dr. Kettlewell published an article in Scientific American that summarized his studies of the
peppered moth.
Bird's Eye View
Read the instructions of the simulation and play the game.
Don't forget to record data in data table.
Answer on a separate page to turn in. Answers should be in complete sentences.
1. Draw a data table similar to the one shown below where data is recorded for moths after 3
minutes of running the simulation.
Trials
Light forest
Dark forest
% dark moths
1
2
3
AVG.
Accept data collected
% light moths
1
2
3
AVG
2. Explain how the color of the moths increases or decreases their chances of survival. Accept any
answers based on the below concept. If the moth's color matches the environment, its chances of
survival increase. If the moth's color doesn't blend in with the environment, its chances of survival
decrease.
3. Explain the concept of "natural selection" using your moths as an example. Accept any answers
explaining natural selection. In the light forest, the dark moths were eaten more so their dark trait
was less likely to be passed on to future generations. More of the light colored moths survived so
the light trait was more likely to be passed on to future generations. The same concept applies to
the dark forest and the dark moths.
4. What would happen if there were no predators in the forest. Would the colors of the moths
change over time? Defend your answer. Accept any answers. The light color moths would always
have more because there were more light colored moths to begin with. The dark color was
introduced because of a mutation in DNA. The light ones were decreasing because they were being
seen by predators on the dark trees. If there was no predator then the light ones would continue to
reproduce at the same rate. There were few dark moths in the beginning. They would reproduce at
the same rate and the numbers would be less than the light ones. There might also be introduction
of a third color if the light and dark moths started reproducing.
5. Propose a design for another experiment that tests in a forest where there are no predators. The
limiting factor is food availability for caterpillars (baby moths) and caterpillars with larger
mouthparts are able to obtain food faster. What data would researchers take in this experiment to
show how natural selection affects the moth populations.
Experiment:
1. Tag and release large mouth moths and small mouth moths in area of limited food supply.
2. After one week, recapture caterpillars and count according to mouth parts.
3. Data should show that not as many of the small mouth moths survived as the large mouth moths.
Therefore there would be less of the small mouth moths to reproduce. There should be more of the
large mouth moths counted because more of them were able to eat enough to survive because they
could eat the food faster. In the future there would be more large mouth moths because more were
able to survive and reproduce.