# A population of snowshoe hares lives in a forest that receives heavy snowfall in winter. Some hares have thicker, whiter fur than others due to natural variation. Explain how natural selection could lead to most hares in the population having thick, white fur over many generations.

> Edexcel GCSE Biology (1BI0) — 4.1 Evolution by natural selection · Explain · 4 marks

> Snowshoe hares live in forests where the ground is covered in snow for several months each year. Predators such as lynx hunt the hares by sight.

## Mark scheme (4 marks)

1. There is variation / mutation in the population, so some hares have thicker, whiter fur than others
2. Hares with thicker, whiter fur are better camouflaged in snow and are less likely to be caught by predators (selection pressure)
3. Hares with thicker, whiter fur are more likely to survive and reproduce / pass on their genes/alleles to offspring
4. Over many generations, the frequency of the alleles for thick, white fur increases in the population

## Key terms

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

## Related

- [Revision notes for Edexcel GCSE Biology (1BI0)](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)

---
Source: [GradeNine](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/q/a-population-of-snowshoe-hares-lives-fcf5a241) · Published by Druglandscape Ltd.