Question

in the harsh arctic environment, the arctic fox exhibits two distinct fur color variations: a white coat in winter and a brown coat in summer. the white fur provides excellent camouflage against the snowy landscape, making it easier for the fox to hunt prey and avoid predation during the colder months. conversely, the brown fur blends in with the tundras earthy tones during the summer, helping the fox remain hidden. the white coat tend to have higher survival rates in winter, leading to a larger breeding population in the spring. the table below shows the population of arctic foxes in winter with variation in fur color.

	white coat		brown coat
0	50	0	50
1	40	1	49
2	48	2	52
3	50	3	45
4	65	4	37
5	78	5	25

use the data given to construct a double line graph.

graphing checklist

• title
• label x - axis
• label y - axis
• plot data correctly
• label your key

key
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1. what do you notice about the population of white and brown arctic foxes over time?

a.

1. what color variation of foxes has the advantage? use evidence from the data to support your claim.

a.

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze population trends

For white - coated arctic foxes, the population starts at 50 in generation 0 and increases over the 5 generations (50, 40, 48, 50, 65, 78). For brown - coated arctic foxes, the population starts at 50 in generation 0 and decreases over the 5 generations (50, 49, 52, 45, 37, 25).

Step2: Determine advantageous color variation

The white - coated arctic foxes have an increasing population trend over the 5 - generation period in winter, while the brown - coated arctic foxes have a decreasing population trend. This indicates that the white - coated variation has an advantage in the winter environment as it provides better camouflage against the snowy landscape, leading to higher survival rates and a larger breeding population in the spring.

Answer:

1. a. The population of white - coated arctic foxes increases over the 5 - generation period, while the population of brown - coated arctic foxes decreases.
2. a. The white - coated variation of foxes has the advantage. Evidence: The population of white - coated foxes increases from 50 in generation 0 to 78 in generation 5, while the population of brown - coated foxes decreases from 50 in generation 0 to 25 in generation 5, likely due to better camouflage of white - coated foxes in the winter snowy environment.