Moth Modification
In Population class we have been focusing on evolution and the natural world of different species. We have learned about anatomy and how certain organisms would do out of their natural habitat. In this project we are going to put that knowledge on organisms in environments other than their own to the test with some characteristic evaluation and what our guess would be on the evolution of our organism hundreds of years in the future.
Meet the Polyphemus moth; one of the biggest silk moths in the world. They can grow a wingspan of up to 15 centimeters and have a varying leaf diet from several different species of trees and plants, their favorite being of the birch tree. The moths use Birch leaves to lay their eggs on, babies also eat their egg shells after being born to give them more energy. The moth’s eggs are very small and round, almost looking like a hockey puck. While the Polyphemus Moths don't have many natural predators; as caterpillars they are hunted after by ants, wasps, and especially yellow jackets. Even before that they are being consumed by squirrels and raccoons as larvae. They have big wings with intricate patterns on them to scare off things that may want to eat it. They are found in most of the states except for Nevada and Arizona and in every Canadian province except for Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. They have been found most commonly though living in urban, suburban, rural, wetlands, and forests.
I have selected a few specimens to conduct some observations on. The wingspans of the moths will be compared to see what the average moth wingspan is, and then evaluate their physical traits to see which would be more beneficial to survival in a new environment.
Mean: 5
Median: none
Mode: none
Range: 3.6
Maximum:6.6
Minimum:3
Q1: 3.9
Q3: 5.7
IQR: 1.8
Standard Deviation Data:
Puerto Rico is classified as a tropical climate having a rainy season that spans from April to November and averaging at about 70 degrees Fahrenheit on lower terrain. While the moths are used to wet terrain, the repeated showers may keep the moths from going out and finding food. A representation of this would be number 2 (Bob) whose wings would be too thin to support itself through the rain. Something else we would have to pay attention to is body weight using month number 12 (Quincy) as an example, the size of the abdomen would slow the moth down and keep it from flying effectively in the dense humid climate. There is one other factor that can play into the moth’s survival and that is camouflage. The patterns on a Polyphemus moth’s wings ward off predators by imitating the face of an owl. One predator found in the El Yunque is a Puerto Rican screech owl. Who prays amongst many of the small insects and mammals in the forest. If the moths were to somehow evolve to become more like this owl they may have a better chance at living peacefully with the other woodland creatures. One moth who starts to resemble that of the owls beak is number 6(Marty) who has a thinner abdomen which is better for flying and better resembles the mouth of the screech owl to better fool those who may want to consume it. Though while this moth does do a better job of being more aerodynamic its colors are bright orange and wouldn't be seen as the colors of the birds feathers or the color of bark either. The colors of the owl are almost always different shades of grey, white, and dark brown.
While the size of moth number 4 is quite small it does match up quite nicely with the owl’s feathers.
Now that we have established what traits exactly are needed for better survival of the moth we can make a visual representation of what the moth might look like 500 or so years in the future. I decided to make the tarsi longer to better grab on to the moist bark of the trees. I also made the abdomen thinner and a lighter color while also slightly changing the colors on the wings.
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