The shift in peppered moth (Biston betularia) colour during the Industrial Revolution is an example of:
AGenetic drift in a large population
BAdaptive radiation across new niches
CNatural selection (industrial melanism)
DConvergent evolution across species
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: C. Natural selection (industrial melanism)
Industrial melanism: dark moths gained selection advantage on soot-blackened tree trunks (1850s onwards). After clean-air laws (1956), light moths returned. A clean real-time example of Darwinian natural selection.
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