In natural populations of the intertidal copepod Finistra elegans, variation exists for two color morphs: a light brown form and a light green form. A student estimates the frequency of the light brown copepod to be 12%, 15%, and 17% over three consecutive years. Over the same three-year period, the population remained stable and no discernible changes occurred in the abundances of other intertidal species.

(a) Provide five explanations for why the frequency of the light brown copepod has apparently increased. (Please use a few sentences for each explanation.)

(b) What evidence would be required to support an adaptive basis for the increase in frequency of the light brown copepod? Briefly describe one experiment that could provide such evidence.

I have an essay due on Friday and need help getting started with some ideas. PLEASE HELP ME!!!

For researching:

You may have to search and research, but once you learn some good sources and methods, you should have success. In addition to searching on the Internet, you also need to make best friends with the reference librarian(s) in your local or college library. Libraries these days subscribe to enormous research databases, and they are often more useful than Internet searches. Ask your librarian if you have access to EBSCOHost -- it has several databases within it, including a huge one for academic research.

For Internet searching:
http://hanlib.sou.edu/searchtools/
At this webpage, you can go immediately to the search sites (first three columns across the top) -- or even better you can scroll down until you see the section called HOW TO SEARCH THE INTERNET. Those are the links to start with. You'll not only learn how to come up with good search terms, but also how to evaluate the webpages you get as results. Some will be good and others will be garbage. You need to know how to tell the difference.

My favorite way to search is to go to Google's advanced search page http://www.google.com/advanced_search?hl=en and put my search words or phrases into the first or second search box (either "all the words" or "exact phrase"). Another is to start out at http://scholar.google.com. However, there many other strategies for searching you can use, and the HOW TO SEARCH THE INTERNET section will help you best.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For writing:

Follow the writing process, whether you're writing for science, history, English, or whatever:

Prewriting: Brainstorm, research, plan, outline, thesis statement

Writing: Write first draft by starting with section II of your outline; write the introduction after the body of the paper is written; write the conclusion last.

Polishing: Revise, concentrating first on the body of the paper, then the intro, then the concl (revision = making sure ideas are logical and sequential and support your thesis); proofread (spelling, grammar, usage, etc.)

Do you have a thesis yet? Have you done your brainstorming (and maybe research) yet? Have you written an outline?

http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/catalogue.html#org
from http://leo.stcloudstate.edu/catalogue.html

http://www.angelfire.com/wi/writingprocess/

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/
Check in the Essay & Research Paper Level.

Certainly! I'd be happy to help you generate some ideas for your essay.

(a) Here are five possible explanations for the apparent increase in the frequency of the light brown copepod:

1. Natural selection: It is possible that the light brown coloration provides a selective advantage in the copepod's environment, leading to increased survival or reproductive success compared to the light green form. This could result in a higher frequency of the light brown copepod over time.

2. Changes in environmental conditions: The intertidal environment where the copepods reside might have experienced changes over the three years that favored the light brown form. For example, if certain predators or parasites selectively targeted the light green copepod, it would allow the light brown copepod to thrive and increase in frequency.

3. Genetic drift: Random chance events, such as fluctuations in population size or mating patterns, could have played a role in the increase of the light brown copepod. If these events were more favorable to the light brown form, it could lead to an apparent increase in its frequency.

4. Migration: If there was an influx of light brown copepods from neighboring populations or habitats, it could result in an increase in their frequency within the local population. This would be particularly relevant if the light brown form had a higher abundance in other areas.

5. Sampling bias: The estimates of frequency might not be entirely accurate due to limitations in the sampling method or small sample sizes. It is possible that the true frequency of the light brown copepod didn't actually change, but rather the estimation was influenced by chance or other factors.

(b) To support an adaptive basis for the increase in frequency of the light brown copepod, evidence could be gathered through an experiment comparing the survival and reproductive success of the light brown and light green forms in different environmental conditions. One possible experiment could involve setting up controlled tanks with varying prey types, predators, or water quality parameters. The copepods could be placed in these tanks, and their survival and reproductive output could be measured over a specific time period. If the light brown copepod consistently demonstrates higher fitness in certain conditions, it would suggest that the increase in frequency is due to an adaptive advantage.