Name: Evolution of Man
Uploaded: 2019-07-19
Duration: 7 min 34 s
Description: The theory of evolution explains how modern species exist. But what about humans? How does this process affect our species? Find these answers in this video!

Question

Explain industrial melanism.

Accepted Answer

Industrial melanism occurs due to man-made activities leading to colour changes in various species. With the development of the industrial revolution, many areas in North America and Europe started getting black due to covering with carbon. The species that relied on camouflage to avoid predators either adapted to the changing circumstances or got extinct. This process refers to micro-evolution due to the changes in the species.

The peppered moth Biston betularia can be characterised as a light coloured species with dark patches, that helps them to camouflage against the lichens on the barks of the trees. F.carbonaria which is a sub-species of F.typica had undergone some mutation and changed to a dark coloured moth having light coloured patches. In the polluted areas, the light coloured species could not protect themselves from the predators. This was because the light coloured species were easily visible on the tree barks. This replaced the F.typica species with the F.carbonaria species.

Explain industrial melanism.

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