Moth Lab
Research Question: How did the industrial revolution affect the moth population in the 1800's?
Hypothesis: The black moth population will be higher that the white moths at the end of the 6th year.
Procedure:
1. Decide who will be the predator and who will be the moth sorter
2. Spread 10 white moths and 5 black moths across the black sheet of paper while the predator's back is turned.
3. Predator should turn to face the black sheet of paper and grab the first moth they see. Turn back around and put it in a Ziploc bag.
4. The moth sorter should re-arrange the moths
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 five more times, and at the end, record the moth population for black and white moths.
6. After each year, double the moth population for each color.
7. Repeat steps 3-6 five more times.
Data:
Independent variable- color of moth
Dependent variable- population of moths
Hypothesis: The black moth population will be higher that the white moths at the end of the 6th year.
Procedure:
1. Decide who will be the predator and who will be the moth sorter
2. Spread 10 white moths and 5 black moths across the black sheet of paper while the predator's back is turned.
3. Predator should turn to face the black sheet of paper and grab the first moth they see. Turn back around and put it in a Ziploc bag.
4. The moth sorter should re-arrange the moths
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 five more times, and at the end, record the moth population for black and white moths.
6. After each year, double the moth population for each color.
7. Repeat steps 3-6 five more times.
Data:
Independent variable- color of moth
Dependent variable- population of moths
Population of Black and White Moths Affected by Time Passed
Time in years
1
2 3 4 5 6 |
|
Conclusion/Analysis:
Claim: The black moth population increased as the time went by and the white moth population decreased.
Evidence: For the first year, there were 10 white moths and 5 black moths, for the second year, there were 4 white moths while there were 5 black moths. The third year, there were 4 white moths and 9 black moths and the fourth year, there were 2 white moths and 18 black, the fifth year, 33 black moths and 1 white moth, and for the final year there were 2 white moths and 60 black moths.
Reasoning: As shown above, the white moths decreased throughout the experiment, and the black moth population increased as the experiment went on, this resulting that by the end of the experiment, there were 2 white moths and 60 black moths, when it started out with 10 white moths and 5 black moths. A reason for this is that the industrial revolution caused a lot of soot to covered the bark in the trees, making the white moths stand out against the dark-colored bark, and the black moths would camouflage. Camouflage is an important trait in this case, allowing the white moths to be outnumbered by the black moths. Before the industrial revolution, the bark of the trees would help the white moths, camouflaging them, making the black moths stand out, but after the revolution, the bark became black, keeping the black population safe while the white moth's population declined. This was shown in the lab.
Claim: The black moth population increased as the time went by and the white moth population decreased.
Evidence: For the first year, there were 10 white moths and 5 black moths, for the second year, there were 4 white moths while there were 5 black moths. The third year, there were 4 white moths and 9 black moths and the fourth year, there were 2 white moths and 18 black, the fifth year, 33 black moths and 1 white moth, and for the final year there were 2 white moths and 60 black moths.
Reasoning: As shown above, the white moths decreased throughout the experiment, and the black moth population increased as the experiment went on, this resulting that by the end of the experiment, there were 2 white moths and 60 black moths, when it started out with 10 white moths and 5 black moths. A reason for this is that the industrial revolution caused a lot of soot to covered the bark in the trees, making the white moths stand out against the dark-colored bark, and the black moths would camouflage. Camouflage is an important trait in this case, allowing the white moths to be outnumbered by the black moths. Before the industrial revolution, the bark of the trees would help the white moths, camouflaging them, making the black moths stand out, but after the revolution, the bark became black, keeping the black population safe while the white moth's population declined. This was shown in the lab.