Question
Imagine you are a scientist observing rats in the wild. As the rats reproduce, rats born with white fur slowly begin to outnumber rats with black fur. In three sentences, provide two or more different explanations of why the rats with white fur might be outnumbering the rats with black fur.(4 points)
1. One possible explanation for the rats with white fur outnumbering rats with black fur could be due to natural selection. The white fur color may provide better camouflage in the rats' environment, giving them a survival advantage over the black-furred rats.
2. Alternatively, genetic drift could be another factor leading to the increase in white-furred rats. If the initial population had a higher proportion of white-furred rats, random genetic variations could have caused this trait to become more prevalent over time through interbreeding.
3. Another possibility could be that white fur is a dominant trait, leading to a higher likelihood of offspring inheriting this trait from their parents. This could result in a gradual increase in the number of rats with white fur in the population compared to rats with black fur.