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Name _______________________________
Peppered Moth Simulation
Pre-Lab Questions:
- Why/How did peppered moths get their
name?
What is “industrial melanism”?
Describe what happened in England during the Industrial Revolution.
How many types of peppered moths existed prior to Industrial Revolution in
England?
- Important: All of the peppered moths were of THE SAME species, just
different colors, like people. Are all of the peppered moths of the same
species? Explain.
- What does the background paper represent in this activity and WHY does the
color of the paper change over time?
Objectives: -Describe the importance of coloration in avoiding predation -Relate environmental change to changes in organisms -Explain how natural selection causes populations to change
Materials: -Sheet of white paper -Newspaper -Forceps -Colored Pencils
-Clock with Second Hand -30 newspaper circles (made with hole punch) -30 white circles (made with hole punch) -30 black circles (made with hole punch)
Purpose: In this lab, you will simulate how predators locate prey in different environments. You will analyze how color affects and organism's ability to survive in certain environments.
Industrial Melanism is a term used to describe the adaptation of a population in response to pollution. One example of rapid industrial melanism occurred in populations of peppered moths in the area of Manchester, England from 1845 to
- Before the industrial revolution, the trunks of the trees in the forest around Manchester were light grayish-green due to the presence of lichens, a moss-like organism which grows on the bark of the trees. Most of the peppered moths in the area were light colored with dark spots. As the industrial revolution progressed, the tree trunks became covered with soot and turned dark. Over a period of 45 years, the dark variety of the peppered moth became more common.
Procedure.
- Place a sheet of white paper on the table and have one person spread 30 white circles, 30 newspaper circles and 30 black circles over the surface while the other person isn't looking.
- The "predator" will then use forceps to pick up as many of the circles as he can in 30 seconds. Place your prey in a pile off to the side of the background paper. For the second and third trials, have your other group member(s) act as the predator.
- This trial will be repeated as shown in the chart below, changing the background after every third trial. Record the data in table below.
Starting Population Number Picked up
Predator Background White Newspaper Black White Newspaper Black
1 White 30 30 30 2 White 30 30 30 3 White 30 30 30 1 Newspaper 30 30 30 2 Newspaper 30 30 30 3 Newspaper 30 30 30 1 Black 30 30 30 2 Black 30 30 30 3 Black 30 30 30
- Examine your data table and construct a graph of your data. Plot the years (as the trees changed color) of the study on the X-axis, and the average number of moths captured on the Y axis. You should have 3 lines on your graph - one for light moths, and one for multicolored moths and one for dark moths. Be sure to label your axes.
WHITE NEWSPAPER BLACK
TREE COLOR CHANGE DUE TO INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
- Explain in your own words what the graph above shows.
- Examine the table and construct a graph of the data. Plot the years of the study on the X-axis, and the number of moths captured on the Y axis. You should have 2 lines on your graph - one for light moths, and one for dark moths. Be sure to label your axes.
Year
of Light
Moths Captured
of Dark
Moths Captured 2 537 112 3 484 198 4 392 210 5 246 281 6 225 337 7 193 412 8 147 503 9 84 550 10 56 599
- Explain in your own words what the graph above shows.
