Peppered moths in England evolved into a dark-colored form when soot darkened the bark of the trees they lived on and exposed the light-colored form to predation.However,air pollution control eventually restored the moths' habitat to its original condition.What would probably have happened to the peppered moth population if the light-colored alleles had been entirely lost from its gene pool during the period when dark-colored moths were selectively favored?
A) Mutations that would reestablish the light-colored allele in the gene pool would have occurred.
B) The moths would have evolved behaviorally and chosen to avoid trees with light-colored bark.
C) The moths would have changed their dietary preferences to foods that contain only light pigments.
D) The population would have become extremely small or possibly extinct after the loss of this adaptive trait.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

If the light-colored alleles were entirely lost from the gene pool and air pollution controls later restored the environment, the population would not have the genetic variation necessary to adapt to the environment. Without the adaptive trait, the population would likely face severe predation pressure and would become extremely small or possibly go extinct. Mutations may occur, but it would take a long time for the light-colored allele to be reestablished in the gene pool. Behavioral and dietary changes are also unlikely to save the population in this scenario.

Peppered Moths in England Evolved into a Dark-Colored Form When