A species of fox 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 and it's DNA caused a fox to have white fur rather than brown. Given this information, what would you classify this mutation as a harmful, beneficial, were neutral mutation? Would this make the fox more or less likely to survive? Explain your answer
In this specific environment of the Arctic where the ground is covered in white snow most of the year, the mutation causing the fox to have white fur would be classified as a beneficial mutation. This is because the white fur provides camouflage for the fox, allowing it to blend in with its snowy surroundings and making it harder for predators like eagles, wolves, and polar bears to spot them. This increased camouflage would likely make the fox more likely to survive as it can better avoid detection by its predators while hunting for food. Overall, the mutation of white fur in this Arctic fox population would be advantageous in their specific environment.
