Industrial Melanism: Natural Selection Evidence — NEET Biology
📚 Practice ConceptAnother interesting observation supporting evolution by natural selection comes from England. In a collection of moths made in 1850s, i.e., before industrialisation set in, it was observed that there were more white-winged moths on trees than dark-winged or melanised moths. However, in the collection carried out from the same area, but after industrialisation, i.e., in 1920, there were more dark-winged moths in the same area, i.e., the proportion was reversed.
Which of the following statements are correct? S1: Paleontological evidence involves the study of fossils found in different sedimentary layers, which helps in determining the geological period of extinct life forms. S2: The forelimbs of whales, bats, cheetah, and human represent analogous organs, indicating convergent evolution towards similar functions. S3: Ernst Haeckel's embryological proposition, which stated that embryos never pass through the adult stages of other animals, was widely accepted as strong evidence for evolution. S4: The observation of industrial melanism in moths in England provides an example of natural selection, where dark-winged moths became more prevalent in polluted areas. S5: Biochemical similarities in proteins and genes across diverse organisms suggest a common ancestry, supporting the concept of evolution.
View solution & NCERT explanation
Correct answer: B — S1, S4 and S5 only
This question assesses understanding of various evidences for evolution discussed in the NCERT text. S1: This statement is correct. NCERT states, "Fossils are remains of hard parts of life-forms found in rocks... A study of fossils in different sedimentary layers indicates the geological period in which they existed. All this is called paleontological evidence." S2: This statement is incorrect. The forelimbs of whales, bats, cheetah, and human are homologous organs, not analogous. Homologous structures indicate common ancestry and divergent evolution, performing different functions but having similar anatomical structures. NCERT states, "Though these forelimbs perform different functions in these animals, they have similar anatomical structure... This is divergent evolution and these structures are homologous." S3: This statement is incorrect. Ernst Haeckel proposed that embryos pass through the adult stages of other animals, which was later disapproved by Karl Ernst von Baer. Von Baer noted that "embryos never pass through the adult stages of other animals." Therefore, Haeckel's original proposition was disproved, not widely accepted as stated. S4: This statement is correct. NCERT describes industrial melanism in moths as an example of natural selection, where dark-winged moths survived better in polluted areas. "in 1920, there were more dark-winged moths in the same area, i.e., the proportion was reversed." S5: This statement is correct. NCERT highlights that "similarities in proteins and genes performing a given function among diverse organisms give clues to common ancestry. These biochemical similarities point to the same shared ancestry..." Therefore, statements S1, S4, and S5 are correct. The final answer is B.
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