How do domesticated silkmoths differ from their wild relatives?

How do domesticated silkmoths differ from their wild relatives?

• A. They are unable to fly and have deficient olfaction
• B. They are more colorful
• C. They have larger wings
• D. They require less food

Answer: (A)

Domestication often reduces traits that aren’t needed in a stable, human-controlled environment, freeing energy for breeding and production traits. In silkmoths, years of captive rearing and selection for silk yield mean flight becomes unnecessary and energetically expensive, so wings and flight capability can become reduced or lost. At the same time, relying on humans for food and mating access relaxes the need for keen scent-based navigation, leading to diminished olfactory acuity over generations. So, the combination of flightlessness and weaker smell is a classic outcome of domestication in these moths. The other ideas don’t fit because flightlessness is the hallmark trait here, not an increase in coloration or wing size; and while adults of many moths don’t feed, the defining difference driven by domestication for silk production is the reduced need for dispersal and complex mate finding, not a universal drop in food requirements.

Domestication often reduces traits that aren’t needed in a stable, human-controlled environment, freeing energy for breeding and production traits. In silkmoths, years of captive rearing and selection for silk yield mean flight becomes unnecessary and energetically expensive, so wings and flight capability can become reduced or lost. At the same time, relying on humans for food and mating access relaxes the need for keen scent-based navigation, leading to diminished olfactory acuity over generations. So, the combination of flightlessness and weaker smell is a classic outcome of domestication in these moths.

The other ideas don’t fit because flightlessness is the hallmark trait here, not an increase in coloration or wing size; and while adults of many moths don’t feed, the defining difference driven by domestication for silk production is the reduced need for dispersal and complex mate finding, not a universal drop in food requirements.