Describes investigations into an ubiquitous biological phenomenon: the existence of dark, or melanic, forms of many species of animals and plants. Examples of this phenomenon include one of the most famous illustrations of Darwinian natural selection, the peppered moth. The central part of the book explores melanisms in moths and ladybirds in particular detail, explaining the diversity of evolutionary reasons for melanism, and the complexities underlying this apparently simple phenomenon.
Preface
Acknowledgements
1. What is melanism?
2. The diversity of melanics
3. The principles of genetics
4. Evolutionary processes
5. The peppered moth story
6. The peppered moth story dissected
7. Melanism in the Lepidoptera
8. Melanism in conspicuous Lepidoptera
9. Melanism in ladybirds
10. The future of research into melanism
Glossary
References
Index