Table of Contents
- 1 What can the genetics of fruit flies be applied to humans?
- 2 What ways are human genetics similar to fruit fly or pea plant genetics?
- 3 Why would a geneticist study a yeast cell or a fruit fly or a mouse in order to understand human genes and human biology?
- 4 Why are fruit flies considered a model genetic organism would humans fit this description?
- 5 How were fruit flies used in genetic research?
- 6 How did Morgan’s research with fruit flies help to explain Punnett and Bateson observations of pea plants?
- 7 What is the purpose of a fruit fly?
- 8 Why are fruit flies a model organism?
What can the genetics of fruit flies be applied to humans?
The fruit fly is a stand-in for humans, and allows investigation of the molecular mechanisms of 26 human diseases, including ALS. Researchers could use Drosophila melanogaster, because it is a well-established model organism to understand the molecular mechanisms of many human diseases.
What ways are human genetics similar to fruit fly or pea plant genetics?
But human genetics follows the same patterns of heredity. The process of meiosis happens the same way in humans as in fruit flies. Humans, like other organisms that reproduce sexually, have the same relationships between alleles: dominant-recessive interactions, polygenic traits, and sex-linked genes, among others.
Why the fruit fly is a useful organism for studying genetic crosses?
75 per cent of the genes that cause disease in humans are also found in the fruit fly. Fruit fly are small (3 mm long) but not so small that they can’t be seen without a microscope. This allows scientists to keep millions of them in the laboratory at a time. They are inexpensive to maintain in the laboratory.
Why would a geneticist study a yeast cell or a fruit fly or a mouse in order to understand human genes and human biology?
Why would a geneticist study a yeast cell or a fruit fly or a mouse in order to understand human genes and human biology? To assess whether related genes in different organisms have similar functions, scientists can generate mutations in the genes and see if the mutations have similar effects.
Why are fruit flies considered a model genetic organism would humans fit this description?
Genetic manipulations are so much easier in fruit flies because they have a smaller genome which was fully sequenced in March 2000 2. Their short life cycle and large number of offspring are also advantageous for genetic research because new fly lines are quick and easy to make.
How many genes do humans share with fruit flies?
This contradicts comparisons between the numbers of genes in different organisms, which yield surprising results: humans have approximately 24,000 genes, but fruit flies are not far behind, with approximately 14,000 genes.
How were fruit flies used in genetic research?
Fruit flies have a very simple genetic structure, which makes them ideal for genetic research. It is useful to study mutant fruit flies, as their quick reproduction rate allows scientists to observe the advantages and disadvantages of certain mutations.
How did Morgan’s research with fruit flies help to explain Punnett and Bateson observations of pea plants?
How did Morgan’s research with fruit flies explain Punnett’s and Bateson’s observation of pea plants? Morgan concluded that linked genes were on the same chromsomes. The more times two genes cross over, the farther apart they are from each other. Linked genes are located close to each other on the same chromosome.
What is an advantage of using flies as a model organism to study genetics What do you think a disadvantage might be?
| Advantage | Disadvantage |
|---|---|
| Easy and cheap to maintain in large quantities, time and cost effective handling | No easy measure of complex behavior |
| Genetic manipulation is fast and inexpensive (3 month, < $ 500 per transgene) | Only basic measures of cognitive decline |
What is the purpose of a fruit fly?
In most cases, fruit flies should be considered beneficial insects. The decaying matter they eat might otherwise turn into a source of fungal or bacterial infection or attract more undesirable pests, such as mice or rats. Fruit flies are found throughout North America.
Why are fruit flies a model organism?
[1] In the laboratory, the fruit fly has been a key model organism since the very first studies of genetics. The fruit fly is simple to work with, with a relatively short lifecycle/generation time of 12 days and its small size allows it to be produced in large numbers.
Why are fruit flies genetic?
Fruit flies have a very simple genetic structure, which makes them ideal for genetic research. Fruit flies are known for their red eyes, although mutations cause certain specimens to have golden or white eyes. Mutations also sometimes result in eyeless flies.