The population of peppered moths thrived, because they camouflaged with the bark of the trees, thereby they were not easily seen by predators. Black moths were easily seen by predators and they were eaten as a result. Because the black moths did not survive, they were unable to reproduce offspring with those traits. However, peppered moths were able to reproduce offspring that were also peppered. During the industrial revolution, the colour of the bark darkened. This meant the peppered moths were easily seen by predators, so they were eaten. Black moths camouflaged with the bark, so now they weren't easily seen by predators. Now that the black moths survived, they could reproduce more black moths. But peppered moths weren't able to reproduce more peppered moths because most didn't survive. This is an example of how an abiotic factor, such as bark can affect a population of a species. Because the bark influenced the survival of the moths, some moths with the desirable traits survived, and others with the undesirable traits died.
