A population of caterpillars feeds on the leaves of trees in a forest and is in turn food for birds that eat them off the tree leaves. Given this information, which adaptation would be most likely to evolve?
A) Caterpillars would evolve to a larger size.
B) Caterpillars would evolve to eat the bark as well as the leaves.
C) Birds would evolve to eat more types of insects.
D) Caterpillars would evolve to a color that matched the leaves they eat.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Caterpillars evolving to a color that matched the leaves they eat would make them harder for birds to see and make it more difficult for the birds to catch them. This adaptation would increase the caterpillars' chances of survival and reproduction, leading to a higher frequency of the trait in the population over time. The other options are not as likely to evolve in response to the given scenario.

A Population of Caterpillars Feeds on the Leaves of Trees