# A population of rock pocket mice lives in a desert environment where the ground is covered in pale sand. The mice have a variety of fur colours, ranging from pale to dark. Explain how, over many generations, natural selection could lead to the population consisting mainly of pale-furred mice.

> Edexcel A-Level Biology A: Salters-Nuffield (9BN0) — 2.6 Adaptation and natural selection · Explain · 5 marks

> Rock pocket mice are small rodents that are preyed upon by owls and hawks. Individual mice vary in fur colour due to differences in their genes. Pale-furred mice blend in with pale sandy ground, whilst dark-furred mice are more easily spotted by predators.

## Mark scheme (5 marks)

1. There is variation in fur colour within the population of rock pocket mice
2. Pale-furred mice are better camouflaged / better adapted to the pale sandy environment
3. Pale-furred mice are less likely to be eaten by predators / have a greater chance of survival
4. Pale-furred mice are more likely to reproduce and pass on the genes for pale fur to offspring
5. Over many generations, the frequency of the pale fur gene / allele increases in the population

## Key terms

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

## Related

- [Revision notes for Edexcel A-Level Biology A: Salters-Nuffield (9BN0)](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-rock-pocket-mice-9fe23e48) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.