An oyster’s growth rate is affected by genetics and by environmental conditions. For example, oysters growing in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay can reach 7.5 cm (3 in.) in length in three to five years. The same species of oysters growing in the Gulf of Mexico can reach that same length in just one or two years. • Make a hypothesis about how an environmental condition affects the rate at which oysters grow.

• Design an experiment that would test the hypothesis.