Peppered moths vary in color from light gray to almost black. the color of any moth depends on how many black spots are found on its wings. the name "peppered" refers to these black spots. during the day, the moths rest on trees. in england where the moths live, many light gray trees were covered with soot that came from the smoke stacks of factories. the trees got darker and darker from the soot. over time, the moth coloration became darker. consider the graphic of the moths. although not the peppered species, they are spotted and show variation in coloration. note the ancestral moth species. predict a situation where the ancestral species diverges into two additional species, now resulting in three, rather than one moth species in the area. a) mutations in the moth dna resulted in variation. overtime, those mutations were passed to offspring. different species evolved over time. b) the environment changed over time. some moths were able to survive the changes; others were not. eventually, the ancestral species became extinct and two surviving species replaced it. c) variation in the ancestral species existed. depending on the habitat, certain coloration variations provided better camouflage to escape predation. over time, different species evolved. d) variation in the ancestral species existed. depending on the habitat, different food resources were available. the anatomy of the moths varied and some were able to eat the food available; other were not. over time, different species evolved.