Evolution of the Peppered Moth

The evolution of the peppered moth over the last two hundred years has been studied in detail. Originally, the vast majority of peppered moths had light colouration, which effectively camouflaged them against the light-coloured trees and lichens which they rested upon. However, because of widespread pollution during the Industrial Revolution in England, many of the lichens died out, and the trees that peppered moths rested on became blackened by soot, causing most of the light-coloured moths, or typica, to die off from predation. At the same time, the dark-coloured, or melanic, moths, carbonaria, flourished because of their ability to hide on the darkened trees.

Since then, with improved environmental standards, light-coloured peppered moths have again become common, but the dramatic change in the peppered moth's population has remained a subject of much interest and study, and has led to the coining of the term industrial melanism to refer to the genetic darkening of species in response to pollutants. As a result of the relatively simple and easy-to-understand circumstances of the adaptation, the peppered moth has become a common example used in explaining or demonstrating natural selection to laypeople and classroom students.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peppered_moth_evolution

Category:

Education

Tags:

• evolution
• natural
• selection
• evolve
• charles
• darwin
• richard
• dawkins
• biology
• genetics
• religion
• christian
• muslim

[webduncetv]

This video contains an outright lie. The black peppered moth existed prior to the industrial revolution (common knowledge found even in the Wikipedia article linked to in the video's description). This video claims that "they began to evolve...fast. A new dark form of the moth spread..." The dark form was not new. The industrial revolution merely caused the already-existing dark form to increase in number relative to the light form, which says nothing of HOW the dark form came to be.

[BEAST636]

@webduncetv "which says nothing of HOW the dark form came to be."

Try listening to the video: 1:14 (Bernard Kettlewell)

Or you can try googling "Genetic mutations".

[93frenchie]

UMMMMM THIS IS RIDICULOUS. IS THE MOTH EVOLVING INTO HALF BIRD, HALF MOTH? HALF FUR, HALF MOTH?? NO IT IS STILL AN ENGLISH PEPPERED MOTH. IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A MOTH. THAT IS LIKE WHEN SOMEONE HAS CANCER AND THEIR HAIR GROWS BACK A DIFFERENT COLOR, OR WHEN WE ARE CHILDREN AND OUR HAIR CHANGES COLOR AS WE GROW OLDER.. ARE WE STILL HUMANS??? THIS IS RIDICULOUS.

[BEAST636]

@93frenchie "THIS IS RIDICULOUS."

No, it's not. What IS ridiculous is that you're 18 and don't know what evolution is. Even worse, making a comment on an evolution video when you don't know how evolution works!

[BEAST636]

@DoTheDanwah "So when u die where do u believe u will go?"

I KNOW i'll decompose or be cremated. I wish there was a place where we could meet our families again but i doubt very much that there is. Our real after life is in our offspring! We should create a better life for them on this earth or another planet and make it "heaven" for them.

[BEAST636]

@creationliberty "What did you start with? A moth. What did you end up with? A moth. Wow. Evolution at work folks."

The theory of evolution has NEVER said and no evolutionary biologist have EVER said that a moth changes into something other than a moth. CREATIONISTS say that because they misunderstand how evolution works.

"I'll make a video on this soon."

You do that! I could do with a good laugh...

[MultiKabob]

Thumbs up if ur science teacher brought u here

[NYPDBLUE87]

@abdulmuhib You sir, are a moron.

[abdulmuhib]

@NYPDBLUE87 Okay. You know nothing about evolution, but that comment was still pretty funny, if for no other reason that it indicates you know nothing about what's actually inside the Bible.

[webduncetv]

@braddoy50

If you will watch it again from around 0:27 to about 0:52, you will see that this video clearly implies that the dark form of the moth evolved *in response* to the Industrial Revolution.

It says, "But then came the Industrial Revolution. Soot killed the lichens and turned the trees black.The moths were no longer camouflaged. They were exposed and vulnerable to attack. So, they began to evolve. Fast! A new, dark form of the moth spread..."

Note the words: so, fast, and new.

[braddoy50]

@webduncetv

Were you born stupid or are you just working hard at it?

We all know the black peppered moth existed before the industrial era. The point is is that conditions favoured this particular form to the point that they became the dominant form because of the industrial revolution which is not just implied but is the essence of this video.

Selective blindness and deafness luckily is not an evolutionary trait.

[djsareawesome]

@BEAST636 That is evolution...

[SpeaksofRivers]

@93frenchie this is an example of natural selection. Natural selection drives evolution by bringing about broad changes throughout a species. Evolution is not about an animal being "half" anything- evolutionary changes take place from one generation to another&happens to species, not individuals. This is just one change over a short period of time. Over a longer period, we would see many more of the traits change- then it would be a completely different species.

[NYPDBLUE87]

@whatyouchating He is definitely being more logical than believing in scientist that have ever changing views on what they think goes on in this world. How can you base everything you believe in something that changes so much? You will never be right. Religion is clear cut and it has not changed. It was right from the beginning. If you don't believe in it that's your problem.