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Extraocular photoreception guides colour change and behaviour in caterpillars of the peppered moth
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Recent Comments
Hi Amy, fantastic work! I plan on using this study in a biology classroom activity right away. I wanted to ask: is an adult peppered moth's coloration determined by its larval coloration? Or is the caterpillar's color change separate from what determines its adult coloration?
Hi Sara,
Nice to hear that the caterpillars will feature in your classroom! In short: adult colouration is not determined by larval colouration.
The larval colouration is caused by changes in the environment and is reversible/can change during the caterpillars development. In contrast, the adult colouration is genetically-determined and fixed.
Amy