Question

A population of deer mice with light-colored coats lives in Sand Hills, Nebraska. The ground in Sand Hills is light colored where glaciers have deposited sand on top of dark soil. In contrast, areas outside Sand Hills have dark soil and dark-coated mice. What explains the different mice populations?

A. Mice living on light-colored sand learned to disguise themselves from predators.
B. Light-colored coats were selected for on light-colored sand.
C. Light-colored mice learned to adapt to light-colored sand.
D. Dark body color became an adaptation in mice on light-colored sand.

Answer 1

Light-colored coats were selected for on light colored sand

Answer 2

B. Light-colored coats were selected for on light-colored sand.

Step-by-step explanation:

• Natural selection is the process by which nature selects individuals with a particular phenotype that allows them to survive better in the given environment.
• In the case given, the deer mice with light color coat tare able to survive better on a light colored sand as compared to dark-colored mice, this is because the light colored mice can camouflage on a light colored sand.
• Camouflaging helps the light colored mice to avoid predators but as the dark-colored mice cannot do so on light colored sand they are more prone to predation and hence are eliminated by natural selection.