# A population of Arctic foxes lives in a snowy environment. Some foxes have thicker fur than others due to a mutation. Explain how natural selection could lead to most foxes in the population having thicker fur over many generations.

> OCR GCSE Biology A: Gateway Science (J247) — B5.2 Natural selection and evolution · Explain · 4 marks

> Arctic foxes live in extremely cold, snowy environments. They rely on their fur for insulation. A random mutation has resulted in some individuals in the population having thicker fur than others.

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. There is variation in fur thickness within the population (due to mutation)
2. Foxes with thicker fur are better adapted / more suited to the cold environment and are more likely to survive
3. Foxes with thicker fur are more likely to reproduce and pass on the advantageous allele to offspring
4. Over many generations the frequency of the allele for thicker fur increases in the population

## Key terms

- [natural selection](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/natural-selection)
- [mutation](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/glossary/mutation)

## Related

- [Revision notes for OCR GCSE Biology A: Gateway Science (J247)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/a-population-of-arctic-foxes-lives-86d0483c) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.