Name:______________________________________________ Date:___________

Peppered Moth Game

Objective: Simulate changes in moth population due to pollution and predation, and observe how species can
change over time.

Go to: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/peppered-moths-game/play.html and read each

section before you play the game, answer the questions as you go.

Peppered Moth
1. Where do peppered moths live? _____________England, Europe, and North
America________________________

2. How do the moth larvae survive predators? ____________Having a body that

looks like a stick helps the larvae hide from predators. The larvae can even adjust
their color from brown to green to best match the branches they are feeding
on_________________

3. What do the moths do during the winter? _________peppered moth larvae change into
pupae______________________

4. What color is the "typica" version of the moths? _________white with black spots________________

What color is the "carbonaria" version? _____________dark, almost black, bodies__________________

5. How do adult moths survive predation? ________________flying at night and resting during the
day_________________________

Natural Selection
6. What was the industrial revolution? __________________Factories were being built, and they ran by
burning coal for fuel. The result was a dark smoke that covered the surrounding
countryside._______________________________

7. What was causing the change in the color of the moths? _______Trees that had been light and covered by
lichens now were dark and bare. This clearly was having some impact on the
moths._________________________

8. What is natural selection? ___________________how new species

evolve____________________________________

9. Why would dark moths have an advantage? __________in dark forests they’re hard to find
_________________________________

Dr. Kettlewell
10. What is an entomologist? ___________a scientist who studies
insects_____________________________________________
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11. How do scientists test theories? __________________ to make predictions based on the theory. They then
test the prediction to see if what they observe matches their
expectations.__________________________________

12. Dr. Kettlewelll predicted that clean forests would have ______light peppered_______ colored moths,
and polluted forests would have ____Dark________ colored moths.

13. How did Kettlewell test his hypothesis? _____________Dr. Kettlewell placed light and dark moths on the
trunks of trees where he could observe them..___________________________________

14. How did Kettlewell determine if moths lived longer than others? ____________He recorded the times a
bird found the moth_____________________

Play the Game

15. Complete the data table for the light forest and the dark forest.

Percent Dark Moths Percent Light Moths

Light Forest 10 90
Dark Forest 100 0

Final Analysis
16. Explain how the color of the moths increases or decreases their chances of survival.

The color of moths increases their chance of survival if they’re able to blend in with trees

17. Explain the concept of natural selection using your moths as an example.

When I caught while/black moths the opposite color of what I got would show up more

18. Predict what would happen if there were no predators in the forest. Would the moth colors have changed?
Why or why not?

No because the reason their color changed was because of predators

19. Efforts to reduce pollution began occurring later in the century. If pollution near factories was reduced, what
would happen to the color of the moths? Explain your answer.

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 Less black moths would exist

20. Kettlewell's experiment is included in most biology texts as an example of evolution occuring. How do we
know that the moths evolved?

Because their colors changed to match whatever environment they’re in

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