Changes in the Environment Can Alter the Dynamics of Natural

question 18

Multiple Choice

Changes in the environment can alter the dynamics of natural selection in predator-prey relationships. As the planet continues to warm, climate change will have a significant effect on many of these relationships. In the case of the snowshoe hare, loss of winter snow cover could make the species more vulnerable to its predator, the lynx. The fur of snowshoe hares turns white in the winter months, providing camouflage in the snow. Which prediction would best fit a hypothesis of continued antagonistic coevolution between these two species in a year-round, snow-free environment?

• A) Snowshoe hares will rapidly go extinct due to the lack of camouflage. This will result in a decline in the lynx population until they shift to a new primary prey.
• B) If the allele for year-round brown fur exists within the snowshoe hare populations, those individuals will be more likely to survive and reproduce, as they are more likely to remain undetected. Lynx who are better at detecting brown snowshoe hares in a snow-free environment will be more likely to survive and reproduce, increasing the frequency of that genotype within the population.
• C) Although lynx populations may initially increase due to easier prey, they will then decline with the loss of their primary prey. Lynx populations will be greatly reduced, while snowshoe hare populations are likely to go extinct.
• D) Because neither species is well adapted to a warmer climate, they are both likely to be greatly reduced and may go extinct.

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