A species of fox lives in the arctic where the ground is covered in white snow most of the year. These arctic foxes hunt rodents and other small mammals, while their predators include eagles, wolves, and polar bears. A mutation in its DNA causes a fox to have white fur rather than brown. Given this information, would you classify this mutation as a harmful, beneficial, or neutral mutation? Would this make the fox more or less likely to survive? Explain your answer

Question

A species of fox lives in the arctic where the ground is covered in white snow most of the year.  These arctic foxes hunt rodents and other small mammals, while their predators include eagles, wolves, and polar bears.  A mutation in its DNA causes a fox to have white fur rather than brown.  Given this information, would you classify this mutation as a harmful, beneficial, or neutral mutation?  Would this make the fox more or less likely to survive?  Explain your answer

GPT 3.5 · Answer

The mutation causing a fox to have white fur instead of brown would be considered a beneficial mutation in the context of its arctic habitat. In an environment where the ground is covered in white snow most of the year, the white fur would provide the fox with better camouflage, making it harder for predators such as eagles, wolves, and polar bears to spot them. This increased camouflage would likely increase the fox's chances of survival.