Natural Selection

 Theory 1: In every species, there is variation among

individual organisms.
 Theory 2: Some of this variation is caused by differences in
their genes.
 Event: Most peppered moths have pale wings, but some
have a gene that gives them dark wings.

 Theory 3: Some individuals have features that make it more

likely that they will survive than individuals that do not have
these features.
 Event: Many factories burnt coal, which polluted the air with
smoke. The smoke killed lichens and made the tree trunks
dark. Birds can see light moths more easily on dark tree
trunks than on lichen-covered ones. When the tree trunks
got darker, the pale moths were not camouflaged. They were
more likely than the dark ones to be eaten by birds.
 Theory 4: The individuals with these advantageous
features are therefore more likely to reproduce, and
pass on the genes that produce the advantageous
features to their offspring.
 Event: The dark moths were more likely to survive and
reproduce than the pale moths. They passed on their
genes for their dark colour to their offspring.

 Theory 5: Over many generations, the genes that

produce these advantageous features get a little bit
more common, and the genes that are not so useful get
a little bit less common
 Event: Over time, the dark colour became more and
more common. Each generation, more dark moths
were born and fewer pale moths