Evolution in Progress

Synopsis: Illustrates the process of natural selection, based on an experiment by H B D Kettlewell. The peppered moth is one of 70 species affected by pollution in the atmosphere. By 1848 the first black one had appeared and by 1955, 98% of the peppered moths in industrial areas were black. The film shows a distribution map. In Dr Kettlewell’s experiment, pupae are trapped, marked and transported to isolated areas and the movement of marked insects recorded. Other species are released at the same time. Surviving moths are caught in traps every night. The film includes slow-motion close-ups of moths being captured by birds including the flycatcher, nuthatch, song thrush and yellow-hammer.
Language: English
Country: Great Britain
Medium: Film; Film 16mm. silent. col. 18 min.
Technical information: Black-and-white / Sound
Year of production: 1956
Availability: Hire
Subjects: Biology
Keywords: evolution; insects; moths; natural selection

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