Advanced Placement Biology Laboratory 7: Genetics of Organisms Introduction The Drosophila Melanogaster, otherwise known as the common fruit

fly, is an excellent organism for genetic study. A fruit fly has simple food requirements, is rather hardy, occupies relatively little space, completes its life cycle in a short 10 to 14 days (at room temperature), produces large numbers of offspring, is easily knocked out, and it has several types of hereditary variations that can be observed with lower power microscopes. The Drosophila has a small number of chromosomes, four pairs, which are all easily placed in the large salivary glands. And lastly, the common fruit fly can be easily obtained from a number of places. Decades of research on the Drosophila Melanogaster had led to the rich knowledge of its many genes. If this lab wasnt conducted online, and rather in person, with live interaction, it would have then been mentioned the life cycle of the common fruit fly, as well as the mating process, complications, and cautions. However, one can and should discuss that these experiments will cross a normal fruit fly (referred to as a wild- type) with a fly mutant for a particular trait.