Fruit Fly Lab Essay Example

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Abstract

The Week Four Fruit Fly Lab, “Sexing Fruit Flies and Quantifying Phenotypes” focused on determining the gender of flies, based on their unique characteristics. More specifically, Key criteria was given, to determine gender. The study led to the conclusion that eye color and wing shape change, with multiple breeding cycles to represent unique phenotypes.

Introduction

Gendering the sex of fruit flies is based on the color of the flies, and the shape of the abdomen. Males are generally darker in color, while the females have a greater number of stripes. The current lab was designed to measure the number of flies.

Methods

lies were anesthetized to prevent them from moving, and provide an accurate count, or sample for analysis, which was not moving.  The observer then detailed the number and nature of phenotypes by recording their eye and wing related characteristics. They separated these by class, or outcome to determine what new phenotypes were created.

Results

The study found that three distinct phenotypes had emerged, based on the eye color and wing shape.  All three wild-types had red eyes, but wing color and shape varied. In terms of wings, Mutation A was sepia, mutation B had vestigial sepia and normal shaped wings, and Mutation C had wings with a white exterior.

Discussion

According to the biology department at the University of Oklahoma (2020) fruit flies (Drosophila) have been studied since the 1930s. Within this time frame they have consistently demonstrated the ability to mutate rapidly through just a few generations. This proved to be true within the current sample, which produced three distinct  mutations, with variation in phenotype for both eye color and wing shape.

References

University of Oklahoma Biology Department. (2020). Drosophila Information Services. https://www.ou.edu/journals/dis/DIS103/2020%20DIS%20103.pdf