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. in one or two senctes

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. in one or two senctes

GPT 3.5 · Answer

The mutation causing the fox to have white fur in an arctic environment would be considered a beneficial mutation, as it provides camouflage against the snowy surroundings, making the fox less visible to predators and prey. This trait would make the fox more likely to survive by increasing its chances of hunting successfully and avoiding being hunted.