Student Exploration:Natural Selection Directions: Follow the instructions to go through the simulation. Respond to the questions and prompts in the orange boxes. Vocabulary: biological evolution , camouflage, Industrial Revolution, lichen, morph, natural selection, peppered moth Prior Knowledge Questions (Do these BEFORE using the Gizmo.) The peppered moth (Biston betularia) is a common moth found in Europe, Asia, and North America. It is commonly found in two forms, or morphs: a dark moth and a light, speckled moth. Birds are a frequent predator of the peppered moth. 1. Which morph do you think would be easier to see on a dark tree 2. Which morph do you think would be easier to see on a light tree The Natural Selection Gizmo allows you to play the role of a bird feeding on peppered moths. The initial population of 40 moths is scattered over 20 tree trunks. Click on moths to capture them. Click the Next tree button (or the spacebar on your keyboard) to advance to the next tree. 1. Check that LIGHT TREES is selected. Click Play ( ), and hunt moths for one year. A. How many dark moths did you capture? 6 B. How many light moths did you capture? 6 C. Camouflage is coloring or patterns that help an organism to blend in with the background. Which 2. If a forest contained mostly light-colored trees, which type of moth would you expect to be most common?