Question

Consider a population of snowshoe hares in Montana. Their fur color changes in response to changes in day length. During the long summer days, they have brown fur, but as the days shorten in the fall, their fur turns white in preparation for winter. Then as the days get longer in the spring, their fur turns brown again. Their fur coloration acts as camouflage from predators. As climate change brings warmer fall temperatures to Montana, colder temperatures with snowfall are coming later in the year, and there may be less snowfall overall. As a result, the hares' fur color may be mismatched to the color of their surroundings, making them more visible to predators. Which snowshoe hares would have a reproductive advantage in this changing environment?

Hares that change color in response to day length, as the current population does

Hares with a mutation that prevents them from changing color from brown to white

Hares with a mutation that causes them to change color in response to temperature rather than day length

Hares with a mutation that prevents them from changing color from white to brown

Answer 1

The correct answer is: Hares with a mutation that causes them to change color in response to temperature rather than day length

Since the climate is changing (as a consequence of global warming) temperatures are increasing more and more through the years. These changes affect populations, so they need to adapt to new environment conditions in order to survive. In this example above, mutations within snowshoe hares that will help them to change color in response to temperature rather than day length is very advantageous. Hares will be brown more often, because there are less and less colder temperatures and snow.