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The “Classical” Explanation of Industrial Melanism

Assessing the Evidence

  • Chapter
Evolutionary Biology

Part of the book series: Evolutionary Biology ((EBIO,volume 30))

Abstract

Industrial melanism is the term used to describe changes in the frequencies of pale and melanic morphs in a variety of insect species, primarily cryptic moths, that have been noted since the advent of industrialization in many parts of the world. This phenomenon has become a standard textbook example of “evolution in action” (e.g., Raven and Johnson, 1996; Beck et al., 1991), based on the widespread assumption that considerable data support a specific selective interpretation of its essential components.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, 01002, USA

    Theodore D. Sargent

  2. Department of Ecology, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, New Zealand

    Craig D. Millar & David M. Lambert

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  1. Theodore D. Sargent
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  2. Craig D. Millar
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, New York, USA

    Max K. Hecht

  2. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA

    Ross J. Macintyre

  3. University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California, USA

    Michael T. Clegg

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Sargent, T.D., Millar, C.D., Lambert, D.M. (1998). The “Classical” Explanation of Industrial Melanism. In: Hecht, M.K., Macintyre, R.J., Clegg, M.T. (eds) Evolutionary Biology. Evolutionary Biology, vol 30. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-1751-5_8

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