Peppered Moth Reverting Back To Original Light Coloration In UK

[hatrack]

The moth was white with small black speckles but over time it evolved to being almost black in parts of the UK because of heavy industrial pollution. The change made it less obvious to predators against backgrounds of grime and soot.

Having declined by more than two thirds compared to 40 years ago, it is regarded as a classic example of natural selection and has consequently become known as "Darwin's moth."

Now in post-industrial Britain, 200 years after Darwin's birth, the moth is changing back to its original white colour. Scientists at Butterfly Conservation, based in Dorset, are now appealing to the public for help in finding out how widespread this change has become.

As part of Garden Moths Count 2009 they want people to search their gardens for the moth and log their sightings. "We have seen these moths making a big swing back to their original colour," said Richard Fox, project manager of Moths Count. "It has been happening for decades as air pollution is cleaned up and with the demise of heavy industry in the big cities.

EDIT

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/5577724/Moth-turns-from-black-to-white-as-Britains-polluted-skies-change-colour.html

[hobbit709]

1. There's no such thing as evolution

It's the devil's work, doncha know?

[rockymountaindem]

2. Yes but evolution is "just a theory"

[Hoopla Phil]

3. The author of the article is a little behind. I read about this in 1986

as a junior in high school.

[tabatha]

5. Yes, I was going to say that I had heard of this before, some year ago.

[Nihil]

6. Not really ...

From the OP:
> "It has been happening for decades as air pollution is cleaned up
> and with the demise of heavy industry in the big cities."

He's simply reporting on the scale of the swing over time, not saying
that it's a new thing.

:shrug:

(FWIW, I helped with the survey for this back in the late 80s: part of my
degree had a project on lepidoptera in general and the peppered moth in
particular so I've always kept an eye out for them.)

[rocktivity]

4. Peppered moth? No thanks, I just ate...

x(
rocktivity