Fruit Fly Chi Square and Intro
Drosophila melanogaster: Mutant Fruit Flies
Jessica E. Phillips
Genetics 3301
April 13, 2012
Introduction:
Drosophila melanogaster better known as the fruit fly can be found near rotting fruits, vegetables, or anywhere where there is food that has rotted and or fermented. (Potter, 2010) D. melanogaster has four different stages in its life cycle. The first stage of D. melanogaster is the egg which can last for about one day; then turns into a larva. The larva stage last for about 7-8 days. Once the larva mature it will molt twice this period is called an instar. (Flagg, 1979) Instar means that the larva will shed a cuticle, mouth hooks, and spiracles and the period in which it goes through this growth phase of molting. D. melanogaster will go through 3 instars before reaching the pupa stage. (Flagg, 1979) The pupa stage will last for about 6 days after which the adult will eclose. During the pupa stage the pupa will darken and the eyes as well as the wings will appear visible through the casing.
Gregor Mendel created 3 principles as it relates to the laws of genetics. The 3 principles of Mendel’s laws of genetics are the law of dominance, the law of segregation and the law of independent assortment. The law of dominance stated that in a heterozygous condition, the dominant allele will dominate over another allele. This means that the dominant trait or phenotype will be present. The law of segregation states that for any trait or phenotype, the parent alleles will separate and only one allele from each parent will pass to the offspring. (O’Neil, 2011) The law of independent assortment states that different pairs of alleles are passed to each other independently. (O’Neil, 2011) Because of Mendel’s laws, D. melanogaster, is the organism often studied for genetics research. Some of the reason for studying the flies genetically is because they are small and easy to grow in a lab setting. They have a 2 week life cycle and a new generation can be
Jessica E. Phillips
Genetics 3301
April 13, 2012
Introduction:
Drosophila melanogaster better known as the fruit fly can be found near rotting fruits, vegetables, or anywhere where there is food that has rotted and or fermented. (Potter, 2010) D. melanogaster has four different stages in its life cycle. The first stage of D. melanogaster is the egg which can last for about one day; then turns into a larva. The larva stage last for about 7-8 days. Once the larva mature it will molt twice this period is called an instar. (Flagg, 1979) Instar means that the larva will shed a cuticle, mouth hooks, and spiracles and the period in which it goes through this growth phase of molting. D. melanogaster will go through 3 instars before reaching the pupa stage. (Flagg, 1979) The pupa stage will last for about 6 days after which the adult will eclose. During the pupa stage the pupa will darken and the eyes as well as the wings will appear visible through the casing.
Gregor Mendel created 3 principles as it relates to the laws of genetics. The 3 principles of Mendel’s laws of genetics are the law of dominance, the law of segregation and the law of independent assortment. The law of dominance stated that in a heterozygous condition, the dominant allele will dominate over another allele. This means that the dominant trait or phenotype will be present. The law of segregation states that for any trait or phenotype, the parent alleles will separate and only one allele from each parent will pass to the offspring. (O’Neil, 2011) The law of independent assortment states that different pairs of alleles are passed to each other independently. (O’Neil, 2011) Because of Mendel’s laws, D. melanogaster, is the organism often studied for genetics research. Some of the reason for studying the flies genetically is because they are small and easy to grow in a lab setting. They have a 2 week life cycle and a new generation can be