Question

In 1985, an assessment of a population of butterflies found that individuals appeared in a wide range of colors, from dark red to a light blue. In 2010, the same population of butterflies was assessed, and it was observed that only dark red and light blue butterflies remained. Identify the type of selection that occurred in this population and discuss how it supports the claim that a single environmental factor can yield a variety of phenotypic responses from different genotypes within a population.

Answer 1

Between this due course of 1985 to 2010 time period there may have taken some important morphological changes that allow species to survive in high rate. This can be better understood by knowing about two main concepts that is reputation and environmental selection.

Adoptation : it is well defined as a evolutionary process in which the species develops features that better suited in the ecology that lives in. This may take even generations to observe this change.

Natural selection : nature always select the strongest nit the weakest species. So this develops the adaptation feature of the species.

In the above butterflies example after certain period of time only dark red and lite blue coloured winged butterflies were assessed in the population. Remaining shades of coloured butterfly wing may have attracted predator very easily. Only dark red and lite blue coloured butterfly wing were succeeded in camouflage and mimicry with background environment where they live. This adaptation made them to hide from the predators eye site and made these coloured butterflies to fit in the nature.

For example let's discuss another example to better understand this, Before industrialization both dark coloured and lite coloured moths were fit in the nature but after the industrialization pollution increased and the lite coloured moths easily spotted by the predators easily due to dark background caused because of pollution. Here in this example through natural selection only dark coloured moths survived and fit in nature, their dark colour camouflaged with background and increased survival rate.