Why did the population change from mostly light-furred mice at the beginning to mostly dark-furred mice at the end?
Artificial selection: Humans intervened and selectively bred the darker mice to produce more offspring because they liked the dark fur better.
Natural Selection: Because the rock color of this mice's environment was dark, the dark furred mice were better adapted to their environment and tended to survive and produce more offspring than the light furred mice.
Over time, this led to a shift in the population towards more dark-furred mice, as they were able to pass on their advantageous trait to their offspring. This process is an example of natural selection, where certain traits become more common in a population over time due to their fitness or adaptability in the environment.
choose one of the answers
The reason for the change depends on the scenario being described.
If the scenario is based on human intervention, then the reason for the change is artificial selection.
If the scenario is based on a natural environment with dark rocks, then the reason for the change is natural selection.
To understand why the population changed from mostly light-furred mice at the beginning to mostly dark-furred mice at the end, we can analyze two possible processes: artificial selection and natural selection.
1. Artificial Selection: Humans intervened and selectively bred the darker mice to produce more offspring because they liked the dark fur better. In this scenario, humans played a role in determining the characteristics of the mouse population by actively choosing which mice would reproduce. By selectively breeding the darker mice, humans increased the number of offspring with dark fur. Over time, this could lead to a shift in the population towards predominantly dark-furred mice.
2. Natural Selection: Alternatively, the shift in the mouse population could be due to natural selection. If the mice's environment had a dark-colored background, the dark-furred mice would be better adapted to their surroundings. The darker fur would provide them with camouflage, making it easier for them to hide from predators or sneak up on prey. As a result, the dark-furred mice would have higher chances of survival and reproduction compared to the light-furred mice. Over generations, this advantage would lead to an increase in the number of offspring with dark fur, eventually resulting in a population that is predominantly dark-furred.
Both artificial selection and natural selection can influence changes in a population's traits. The key difference is the role of humans in artificial selection, while natural selection is driven by environmental factors and the differential survival and reproduction of individuals with certain traits. By examining the context and considering these factors, we can gain a better understanding of why the population changed from light-furred to dark-furred mice.