Final answer:
The fur color of many mammals in the tundra changes with the seasons mainly for camouflage, helping animals like the arctic fox to blend into their surroundings and increase their survival prospects.
Step-by-step explanation:
The fur color of many mammals in the tundra changes with the seasons primarily for reasons of camouflage. In these environments, seasons dictate the color and the amount of vegetation, snow, and ice present, and changing fur color helps animals blend into the landscape more effectively, enhancing their survival by concealing them from predators and prey alike. The arctic fox, for example, sports a white coat during winter to blend in with the snow, and a darker coat in summer to match the thawed tundra.
While temperature regulation is an important aspect of survival in the tundra, this involves adaptations such as changes in the density or length of fur, not the color. The color change is not primarily for heat conservation or dissipation, as hair and fur aid in maintaining body temperature by trapping an insulating layer of air close to the skin. However, the primary reason mammals in the tundra, such as the arctic fox, change their fur color with the seasons is camouflage, which is critical for staying hidden in the highly variable landscape.