Why is the peppered moth given as an example of natural selection or evolution?
The peppered moth lives on tree trunks, and due to an increase in industrial activity, the trunks would be coated in black soot, making the white moths easier to see and therefore, more vulnerable to predators. The colour of the tree trunk determined which individual was more abundant. It is “survival of the fittest”, because survival depends on the organisms fitness, the ability to reproduce. The black moths were more likely to reproduce if the trunks were black. It has nothing to do with strength but the ability to adapt to changes in the environment that surrounds them. It doesn’t mean that the moths evolved to become black. It means that due to predators, the gene controlling “black” becomes more abundant. Natural selection is revolves around selecting individuals that are more likely to survive.
