Fruit flies are used in genetics and biological research because they are cheap and be quickly cultured. The use of the Pearson’s fly lab was pre-assigned for the physical experimental procedures to produce results in a limited time frame and reduce the chance of fruit flies contaminating the lab from student error. In order to test the hypothesis, I would observe the F2 generation. The initial parent cross takes approximately two weeks prior to produce the F1 generation. This parental cross would be of a homozygous recessive female (bb) with either a homozygous dominant male (BB) or dominant male with only one allele (XB Y). This cross would produce the F1 generation which crossed XbXb (female), XBYB, XB Y(males), and produced the F2 generation.
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Culture vessels were prepared by following the instructions in the Carolina Drosophila Manual. One-part Drosophila medium was deposited into the bottom of the culture vessels with one-part water. Then the medium was left to firm. Once the medium was firm, the yeast was added as a food source to sustain development, medium is for the larva to eat, and yeast is for adult flies to eat. A piece of plastic mesh was added to the culture vessel to give the fruit flies more surface area, which was needed so that they would not crush one another or get stuck in the medium. To sex the fruit flies, the flies were first transferred to an empty culture vessel to be anesthetized with Fly-Nap. Then the flies were moved to a wide field stereomicroscope and separated by gender. Male fruit flies have heavy dark bristles around the base of the genitalia, and females do not. After the F1 flies were sexed, males and females were put into a culture vessel to breed the F2 generation. As the F2 flies hatched over a seven-day period they were counted and categorized. The flies were then categorized by traits and gender (Flagg, R. O.,
Culture vessels were prepared by following the instructions in the Carolina Drosophila Manual. One-part Drosophila medium was deposited into the bottom of the culture vessels with one-part water. Then the medium was left to firm. Once the medium was firm, the yeast was added as a food source to sustain development, medium is for the larva to eat, and yeast is for adult flies to eat. A piece of plastic mesh was added to the culture vessel to give the fruit flies more surface area, which was needed so that they would not crush one another or get stuck in the medium. To sex the fruit flies, the flies were first transferred to an empty culture vessel to be anesthetized with Fly-Nap. Then the flies were moved to a wide field stereomicroscope and separated by gender. Male fruit flies have heavy dark bristles around the base of the genitalia, and females do not. After the F1 flies were sexed, males and females were put into a culture vessel to breed the F2 generation. As the F2 flies hatched over a seven-day period they were counted and categorized. The flies were then categorized by traits and gender (Flagg, R. O.,