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

Answer 1

The mutation causing the arctic fox to have white fur instead of brown can be classified as a beneficial mutation. In the snowy arctic 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 make the fox more likely to survive and pass on its genes to the next generation.

Therefore, this mutation is beneficial because it provides a survival advantage to the arctic fox in its natural environment, allowing it to better blend in with its surroundings and evade predation.