Question

A group of mice used to include many mice with spotted fur and a few with solid fur. Then, the habitat changed from sunny to shady. A student predicted that natural selection should result in a population that has more solid mice than spotted mice.

,begin bold,Student's Explanation:,end bold, Mice with solid fur will be more difficult to see in the shady habitat, so fewer predators will find them. This means that more solid mice will pass their fur color trait to the next generation.



Change in Fur Color Trait in Mouse Population
Number of Generations After the Habitat Changed Ratio of Spotted Fur to Solid Fur
0 4 colon 1
10 7 colon 3
20 1 colon 1
30 1 colon 3

Question
Why does the evidence in the table support the student's explanation? Select the ,begin emphasis,two,end emphasis, statements that apply.

Answer options with 5 options
A.
The ratio increased over time.

B.
The ratio decreased over time.

C.
The ratio increased and then decreased over time.

D.
More solid mice than spotted mice survived in the first ten generations after the habitat changed.

E.
Gradually, a higher proportion of solid mice than spotted mice survived after the habitat changed.

Answer 1

The evidence in the table supports the student's explanation by showing that, over time, the proportion of solid mice increases relative to spotted mice due to the advantages solid fur provides in a shady habitat. The two statements that apply are:

**B. The ratio decreased over time.**

**E. Gradually, a higher proportion of solid mice than spotted mice survived after the habitat changed.**

These choices indicate that the ratio of spotted to solid fur mice improved for solid fur over time as predicted.