Drosophila Melanogaster
Drosophila Melanogaster
Introduction Drosophila mature through complete metamorphosis, as do all members of the order Diptera. [5] Diptera are commonly known as (true: having two wings) flies and include many familiar insects such as mosquitoes, black flies, midges, fruit flies, and house flies. [3] Drosophila melanogaster are most commonly known as fruit flies and are used in many genetic studies for a few simple reasons; they are small and easily handled, they have a short life cycle and they are easy to keep large numbers such as the confined spaces of a laboratory or classroom. [1] Drosophila also have a small number of chromosomes: three autosomal pairs and X/Y chromosomes. This helps to simplify genetic mapping and study. The egg of a Drosophila is around half of a millimeter long and will take one day from fertilization for the embryo to develop and hatch into its larvae form. The larvae go through three stages, or instars, before entering the pupal stage. This all takes place in roughly six days. Once the Drosophila has entered its pupal stage, it will undergo changes to transform into the adult form and shed its pupal case. The newly emerged adult will be fertile within twelve hours. Of course, temperature does effect the maturation and life cycle of Drosophila. The stated timing of maturation is for a temperature of 25°C; at 18°C development can take twice as long. [2] In Drosophila, reproduction occurs rapidly. A single pair of fertile Drosophila can produce hundreds of offspring in just a couple of weeks and these offspring, like their parents, will be ready to mate within a week. Drosophila have three main body segments and three pairs of segmented legs. In its adult form the Drosophila has a rounded head with large, red, compound eyes and three smaller simple eyes; this is characteristic of wild type males and females. The female is slightly larger than the male. Males can be identified easily because they have a greater concentration
Introduction Drosophila mature through complete metamorphosis, as do all members of the order Diptera. [5] Diptera are commonly known as (true: having two wings) flies and include many familiar insects such as mosquitoes, black flies, midges, fruit flies, and house flies. [3] Drosophila melanogaster are most commonly known as fruit flies and are used in many genetic studies for a few simple reasons; they are small and easily handled, they have a short life cycle and they are easy to keep large numbers such as the confined spaces of a laboratory or classroom. [1] Drosophila also have a small number of chromosomes: three autosomal pairs and X/Y chromosomes. This helps to simplify genetic mapping and study. The egg of a Drosophila is around half of a millimeter long and will take one day from fertilization for the embryo to develop and hatch into its larvae form. The larvae go through three stages, or instars, before entering the pupal stage. This all takes place in roughly six days. Once the Drosophila has entered its pupal stage, it will undergo changes to transform into the adult form and shed its pupal case. The newly emerged adult will be fertile within twelve hours. Of course, temperature does effect the maturation and life cycle of Drosophila. The stated timing of maturation is for a temperature of 25°C; at 18°C development can take twice as long. [2] In Drosophila, reproduction occurs rapidly. A single pair of fertile Drosophila can produce hundreds of offspring in just a couple of weeks and these offspring, like their parents, will be ready to mate within a week. Drosophila have three main body segments and three pairs of segmented legs. In its adult form the Drosophila has a rounded head with large, red, compound eyes and three smaller simple eyes; this is characteristic of wild type males and females. The female is slightly larger than the male. Males can be identified easily because they have a greater concentration
References: 1. European Bioinformatics Institute © 2006-2008. http://www.ebi.ac.uk/2can/genomes/eukaryotes/Drosophila_melanogaster.html 2. Elland, Carol; NASA Official: Navarro, BJ. Last Updated: September 2006. Accessed November 14, 2008 at http://quest.nasa.gov/projects/flies/lifeCycle.html 3. Definition, found at http://entomology.montana.edu/historybug/glossary.htm#sectD 4. Biology Lab Manual, ed. 8. Vodopich, D., et. Al. Kirkwood Community College – Biology Department BI110/111 Lab. Pages 117-127. 5. Miller, C. 2000. "Drosophila melanogaster" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed November 14, 2008 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Drosophila_melanogaster.html. 6. FlyNap Material Safety Data Sheet. http://www.carolina.com/text/teacherresources/MSDS/flynap.pdf 7. Sexual Selection and the Descent of Man: The Darwinian Pivot. By Bernard Grant Campbell. Published by Aldine Transaction, 2006. ISBN 0202308456, 9780202308456. Pages 106-115. 8. Chapter II, The Mechanism of Mendalian Heredity. T. H. Morgan. 1915. http://www.esp.org/books/morgan/mechanism/facsimile/contents/morgan-mechanism-ch02-i.pdf 9. “Apparent Genetic Complexity Generated by Developmental Thresholds: The Apterous Locus in Drosophila Melanogaster”. Mary Stevens. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/picrender.fcgi?artid=1202564&blobtype=pdf