Insect Adaptations

Question 1

In Willowbrook a woodlot’s trees were painted bright white to stop a beetle outbreak. Before the painting most peppered moths there were dark‑colored because the bark was dark from lichens. After the trees became white, which statement best explains why the moth population shifted over several generations?

Accepted Answer

Moths that were light‑colored blended in with the white bark, were eaten less by birds, and left more offspring, so light moths became common.

Answer

The dark moths could not breathe the paint fumes, so they died quickly.

Answer

The paint transferred onto the wings of all moths, turning them white instantly.

Answer

Dark moths stopped laying eggs because they disliked the white color of the trees.

Question 2

In Brookfield, runoff has turned the pond water brown and cloudy. A water‑surface beetle that used to be bright green, which helped it hide among clear water plants, is now mostly brownish, and the green beetles are rarely seen. Which explanation best shows why the beetle population’s colour changed?

Accepted Answer

Beetles that were born with a brownish tint were harder for fish predators to spot in the murky water, so they survived longer and had more babies; after many generations the brown colour became common.

Answer

Each beetle learns to turn brown whenever it detects that the water is dirty, so the same beetle changes its colour during its life.

Answer

Because the beetles ate brown algae, their bodies turned brown and they passed this colour directly to their offspring.

Answer

The beetles’ outer shell wears away with age, revealing a brown layer underneath, so older beetles appear brown.

Question 3

During the Industrial Revolution, many trees became covered with soot. Which statement best explains why dark‑colored peppered moths became more common than light‑colored ones?

Accepted Answer

Dark moths blended in with the soot‑covered bark, so birds could not see them as easily and ate fewer of them.

Answer

Dark moths could breathe better in the polluted air than light moths.

Answer

Light moths changed their wing colour to dark after landing on soot‑covered trees.

Answer

Dark moths ate more food because the soot made the leaves taste sweeter.

Try three questions

During the Industrial Revolution, many trees became covered with soot. Which statement best explains why dark‑colored peppered moths became more common than light‑colored ones?

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