Not black and white (original) (raw)

• Autumn Books
• Published: 05 November 1998

Nature volume 396, pages 35–36 (1998)Cite this article

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Melanism: Evolution in Action

• Michael E. N. Majerus

Oxford University Press: 1998. 338,pp. £55, 105(hbk),£23.95,105 (hbk), £23.95, 105(hbk),£23.95,45 (pbk)

According to the standard textbook litany, before the mid-nineteenth century, all B. betularia in England were white moths peppered with black spots, a form called typica. Between 1850 and 1920, typica was largely replaced by a pure black form (carbonaria) produced by a single dominant allele, the frequency of which rose to nearly 100% in some areas. After 1950, this trend reversed, making carbonaria rare and typica again common. These persistent and directional changes implied natural selection. In a series of studies, this conclusion was verified by several investigators, most prominently Bernard Kettlewell of Oxford.

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1. Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, 1101 E. 57 Street, Chicago, 60637, Illinois, USA
   Jerry A. Coyne

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Coyne, J. Not black and white.Nature 396, 35–36 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/23856

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• Issue date: 05 November 1998
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/23856

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