Peppered moth predation experiments
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Various predation experiments have been performed for the peppered moth, and each has found differential bird predation.
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Experimental Design
Kettlewell was employed by Ford, who helped gain a grant from the Nuffield Foundation to perform experiments on the peppered moth. An experiment in field biology will always suffer from some level of artificiality, but that has to be balanced against practicality, costs and in this case the history of field biology; the most important aspect is that an experiment generates useful statistics. The only previous experiments of this type were Ronald Fisher and E.B. Ford's (1947) with the scarlet tiger moth.
Kettlewell's Experiments
Aviary experiment
Moths were released into a large (18m by 6m) aviary, where they were fed on by great tits, (Parus major).
1953 Experiment
Kettlewell experimented at Cadbury Nature Reserve in Birmingham, England. He found that in this polluted woodland, that typica morphs were preferentially taken. He thus showed that the melanistic phenotype was important to the survival of peppered moths in such a habitat.
It has been suggested by the journalist Judith Hooper in her book Of Moths and Men (Hooper, 2002) that Kettlewell committed scientific fraud. A careful study of Kettlewell's surviving papers by Rudge (2005) reveals that Hooper's 'argument' in favor of this allegation is without merit. Moreover, Young (2004) has shown this allegation to be unjustified.
1955 Experiment
Kettlewell repeated the experiment in 1955 at Dorset and in Birmingham. He was accompanied by Nico Tinbergen, who made a film together.
Later Experiments
Dead moth experiments. e.g. Whittle et al. pinned dead moths to trees in life-like positions.
Majerus' superexperiment
References
- Fisher, R.A. and E.B. Ford (1947). The spread of a gene in natural conditions in a colony of the moth Panaxia Dominula L. Heredity 1:143-174 PDF 1.8MB
- Kettlewell, H.B.D. (1953)
- Hooper, J. (2002) Of Moths and Men
- Kettlewell, H.B.D. (1955)
- Kettlewell, H.B.D. (1973)
| Ecology | Genetics | Evolution | Taxonomy | Predation experiments |
| Researchers: Bernard Kettlewell (The Evolution of Melanism) | Mike Majerus (Melanism: Evolution in Action) | Laurence Cook | Cyril Clarke | Bruce Grant | E.B. Ford | Philip Sheppard J.W. Tutt |
| Alternative theories: Craig Millar | Ted Sargent |
| Creationism: Jonathan Wells (Icons of Evolution) | Judith Hooper (Of Moths and Men) |
| References |