Fruit Flies

Edwin Davis, M.Ed.

Lead PBL Instructor
03/17/15

Biology 2015

Introduction to Genetics
Biology
2015

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Biology 2015

Objectives
(I) To observe field flies and lab flies.
(II) To understand how a tumor suppressor gene
regulates fly wing size.

Hypothesis
(I) Field flies are the same as lab flies.
(II) Tumor suppressor gene does not affect fly wing
size.
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Learning Objective(s).
Learners will:
Acquire knowledge about Drosophila melanogaster,
specifically its classification, life cycle, and normal and
mutant phenotypes.
Design and conduct an experiment to cross wild type flies
and mutant flies (either a white-eyed or a vestigial wing
mutant) and make qualitative and quantitative observations
about the parent, F1 and F2 generations of flies and
phenotypes and presumed genotypes based on those
phenotypes.
Document the fruit fly experiments.
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Backgrou
nd

What are fruit flies?

Fruit flies have been used in
genetics study for over 100 years.
Application of fruit fly in human
disease study:

Thomas Hunt Morgan

(Nobel
Laureate,1933)

03/17/15

Cancer
Neurological disease (Parkinson's, autism)
Immune disease
Rhythm, vision, olfaction, audition,
learning/memory, courtship, pain
Other processes, such as longevity

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Background
Short generation time of 10-14 days (compared to 25 years for human)

Life Cycle of
fruit flies

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Drosophila melanogaster is a fly, distributed world wide

with the exception of extremes of altitude or latitude. Its claim to
fame is that, for the last 100 years or so, it has been a favourite
organism for biological research, initially in the field of genetics,
but latter for the investigation of fundamental problems in biology
from the fields of ecology to neurobiology. By and large members
of this family are specialized to feed, as larvae, on rotting
vegetable matter that is undergoing fermentation due to yeast or
bacterial contamination. It is these microorganisms that constitute
the food of larval Drosophila

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Welcome to the World of

Fruit Fly Genetics

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10

Developmental stages of Drosophila

(10-12 days)
Egg

Larva (3 instars)

Pupa

Adult

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This is a *female* fruit fly

Notice the tiger-striped abdomen and the
simple tag-like tip on the abdomen.

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The tip at the end of the female abdomen is the excretory opening.
Just proximal to this opening is the female genital opening.

Female
Genitalia

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This is a mature male fruit fly

Mature males have a prominent black abdominal end.
Males also have tiny sex combs on their front pair of legs.

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Heres a close up of the male genital region.

Notice the metallic sheen of the genitals.

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One male and one female

Find their distinguishing features.

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Ventral view of a male and female

Find their distinguishing features

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Identify males versus

females
1. Size of adult The female is larger than the

male.
2. Shape of abdomen The female abdomen
curves to a point; the male abdomen is round
3. Markings on the abdomen Alternating dark
and light bands can be seen on the entire rear
portion of the female; the last few segments
of the male are fused.
4. Appearance of sex comb On males there is a
tiny tuft of hairs on the front legs.
5. External genitalia on abdomen Located at
the tip of the abdomen, the ovipositor of the
female is pointed. The claspers of the male
are darkly pigmented, arranged in circular
form, and located just ventral to the tip.
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sex comb

19

Female laying
an egg

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Notice the relatively

larger size and
lighter pigmentation
of the
virgin female as
compared with the
mature female

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Tiny fly eggs hatch

into tiny worm-like
larvae. The larvae
eat and grow in
length
and girth. The
maximum size
of the larval stage is
called
the third instar.
This larval stage
becomes a pupa.

Anus

This is a third instar larva

prior to pupation

Mouth
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Larva to Pupa Stages

Larvae are mobile

Pupal
stages
With the onset of pupation the worm-like larva contracts and a
parchment-like pupa case hardens around the metamorphosing fly.
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Fly metamorphosis in pupa

When the fly emerges from the

pupal case the wings are still
wet and folded.
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When flies are newly hatched

their wings are still damp
and folded.

Is this a male
or a female?

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This is a male.
Pigmentation has not developed.

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