In northern Canada, a population of rabbits was predominantly white in color. The allele for white color is recessive, while the
allele for gray color is dominant. Over the last several decades, the average annual temperature of this area has increased, and the long-term deposits of ice and snow have become scarce. We see the result of this change in the graph above. How can we explain this change in terms of allelic frequency? A) Gray alleles are dominant over white. B) Changes in the environment caused genetic mutations that were passed to offspring. C) In order to survive, rabbits changed from white to gray and they passed the gray allele to offspring. D) Gray rabbits were more likely to survive in the changed habitat. The gray alleles were passed to offspring.
Explained by natural selection. Those with favored traits in an environment are more likely to survive and pass down the allele. Thus in this situation a grey rabbit is more likely to survive and blend in.
