Morgan and Drosophila

Why Fruit Flies? (Key Advantages)

• Rapid Breeding: A single mating yields hundreds of offspring, creating a new generation every two weeks.
• Easy Maintenance: They are tiny (3 mm), survive on rotting fruits, and are easily bred in labs all year.
• Clear Sexual Dimorphism: Males and females are easy to tell apart; females are larger and possess an ovipositor (egg-laying structure).
• Behavioural Links: Specific behaviours, like mating dances, help researchers link genetics to physical actions.

Simple Chromosome Structure (4 Pairs Total)

• Autosomes: 3 pairs (Pairs II, III, and IV).
• Sex Chromosomes: 1 pair (Pair I). Females are XX, and males are XY (with a characteristically J-shaped Y-chromosome).

The Scientist: T.H. Morgan (proved chromosomes carry genes).

The Subject: Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster).

Why Fruit Flies? (The 4 Big Reasons)

1. Fast Breeding: They produce hundreds of offspring in just 2 weeks.
2. Low Maintenance: Easy and cheap to keep in labs all year.
3. Easy to Identify: Males and females look distinctly different (females are larger).
4. Simple Genetics: They have only 4 pairs of chromosomes (3 pairs of autosomes + 1 pair of sex chromosomes).