1. Imagine you are a scientist observing rats in the wild. As the rats reproduce, rats born with white fur slowly begin to outnumber rats with black fur. In three to five sentences, provide two or more different explanations of why the rats with white fur might be outnumbering the rats with black fur.

1 answer

One possible explanation for the increasing population of rats with white fur could be that they have a competitive advantage in their environment, such as living in an area with lighter-colored soil or vegetation, which provides better camouflage from predators. Alternatively, the white-furred rats might be exhibiting a genetic trait that allows them to reproduce more successfully, perhaps due to higher fertility rates or better survival of their young in certain environmental conditions. Additionally, if a disease or parasite disproportionately affects the black-furred rats, this could lead to a decline in their numbers, allowing white-furred rats to proliferate.