Case Study: The Tale of the Two Squirrels

What was the main food source for the squirrels before the sweetgum trees were planted?

What was the environmental change in the park?

What variation existed within the squirrel population?

How did the reddish-brown fur become an advantage in the areas with sweetgum trees?

Why might the gray-brown fur have become a disadvantage in those same areas?

Explain how natural selection played a role in the changing number of reddish-brown squirrels.

Do you think the gray-brown squirrels will disappear from the park entirely? Why or why not?

Can you think of another example of how a variation in an animal or plant population might be helpful or harmful if the environment changes?