Why did the white:winged moths not survive during the postindustrialization period?

Why did the white:winged moths not survive during the postindustrialization period?
  1. They were not able to camouflage themselves against the darker background caused by industrial smoke and soots
  2. They were not able to compete with the dark-winged moths for food
  3. They were not resistant to the pollutants in the environment
  4. They were not able to reproduce as effectively as the dark-winged moths

Solution

Before industrialization set in, thick growth of almost white:colored lichen covered the trees, in that background the white winged moth survived but the dark-colored moth were picked out by predators. During postindustrialization period, the tree trunks became dark due to industrial smoke and soots. Under this condition the white:winged moth did not survive due to predators, dark-winged or melanized moth survived.

Asked in: NCERT

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