[biologyyv (OP)]

I have an exam on Monday and need a good answer to the following question.. University standard please?

You have found a species of moluscs that vary morphologically within its' population and between its population. Nothing is known about the biochemistry or DNA variations. Design a set of experiments to determine the relative importance of natural selection and genetic drift in influencing variations.

Thanx for any help.

[Andrew K Fletcher]

Ever tried researching rather than asking for answers?

[biologyyv (OP)]

I have tried to research,all I can come up with is moving some molluscs to a different location within a different population and if the survive it's due to genetic drift and if not then due to natural selection. And as a control to move some moluscs to another location within its population and see what happens here.

I'm not being lazy I'm just asking for help as I simply don't know!

[JimBob]

Then ask yourself what the important factors are to the mollusks. Food source? Ability to move water through their feeding system, turbidity of the water (assuming they are marine or lacustrine or fluvial), energy level of their environment, etc. Also, take into account the need for multiple working hypotheses. You need to design a series of experiments, not just one. Go from there - if your going to be a scientist you must know how to design experiments on your own.