Data from an insect species in forest is presented below. This species of insect has three phenotypes in this environment: brown, green, and beige. A fire occurred in Generation 3, devastating population sizes Analyze the data in the table below. Which species showed evidence of a favorable adaptation following the fire?
Beige
Green
Brown
The data in the table below shows the population sizes of the three phenotypes of insects in the forest environment before and after a fire occurred in Generation 3.
Generation 1:
Brown - 200
Green - 150
Beige - 100
Generation 2:
Brown - 180
Green - 100
Beige - 120
Generation 3 (Fire occurs):
Brown - 50
Green - 20
Beige - 10
Generation 4:
Brown - 80
Green - 60
Beige - 40
Generation 5:
Brown - 100
Green - 80
Beige - 60
Based on the data, it appears that the Brown phenotype showed evidence of a favorable adaptation following the fire. Despite the significant decrease in population size in Generation 3 due to the fire, the Brown population size increased in Generation 4 and continued to increase in Generation 5, surpassing its original population size in Generation 1. This suggests that the Brown phenotype may have had some trait that allowed it to survive and reproduce more effectively in the post-fire environment compared to the Green and Beige phenotypes.