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. 5 grade words

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. 5 grade words

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The mutation that causes the arctic fox to have white fur instead of brown fur would be classified as a beneficial mutation. This is because the white fur helps the fox blend into its snowy environment. When a predator, like an eagle or wolf, is looking for food, a white fox is harder to see against the white snow. This camouflage helps the fox avoid being caught by its predators.

Having white fur also helps the fox when it hunts. Since it can hide better, it can sneak up on rodents and other small mammals more easily. This means the fox has a better chance of catching its food.

Overall, the white fur mutation makes the fox more likely to survive in the arctic since it helps it avoid danger and find food.