Information : gray fur with dark patches in coats of wolves in the population ha
ID: 17827 • Letter: I
Question
Information : gray fur with dark patches in coats of wolves in the population have beneficial for the animal to blend easily within dense forest habitat while other gray wolves with light gray fur and many white patches are not beneficial traits for the forest habitat.Imagine the climate conditions lead to environmental conditions in which the forests slowly disappear. the dense forest is slowly replaced with snow covered fields. explain how this changing condition might affect the natural selection for coat color in the gray wolf population for the area.
Explanation / Answer
If the climate conditions lead to the environmental conditions in which the forests slowly disappear, then the gray fur with dark patches will no longer be beneficial as the dark forests will be replaced with snow covered fields. In these snow covered fields, dark patches will stick out and draw attention to the wolf. However, these conditions will be much better suited to the wolves with light gray fur and many white patches as they will be able to better blend into their surroundings. This ability to camoflage themselves is useful in hunting for preying as well as blending in from any predators themselves. In this scenario I would suggest that the lighter gray wolves will be selected for and one may see an increase in their population as they have advantages in the snow covered climate. The dark gray wolves will be selected against and are less likely to be successful.