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. (4 points)

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. (4 points)

Bot GPT 3.5 · Answer

The mutation in the fox's DNA that causes it to have white fur in an arctic environment can be classified as a beneficial mutation. This is because the white fur provides the fox with camouflage, allowing it to blend into the snowy environment and making it harder for predators such as eagles, wolves, and polar bears to spot it. The white fur increases the fox's chances of survival by increasing its chances of successfully hunting prey and decreasing the likelihood of being preyed upon. Therefore, this mutation gives the fox a better chance of surviving in its environment.