Evolution Ques 70
70. Industrial melanism as observed in peppered moth proves that
[2007]
(a) the melanic form of the moth has no selective advantage over the lighter form in industrial areas
(b) the lighter-form moth has no selective advantage either in polluted industrial areas or non-polluted areas
(c) melanism is a genetic trait
(d) the true black melanic forms arise by a recurring random mutation
Show Answer
Answer : d
Hints & Solution
(d) During the period when the number of coal-burning factories in England was increasing (during the so-called Industrial Revolution) it was noticed that the number of melanic individuals of the species of Peppered Moth (Biston betularia) was becoming more common. Originally rare in the population of normally light-colored moths, the frequency of the melanic form increased in polluted areas until it was over 90%. This change in color has come to be known as “industrial melanism.”
BETA
