When did Drosophila first appear?

When did Drosophila first appear?

D. melanogaster, described by Meigen in 1830, appears to have originated in sub-Saharan Africa (Lachaise et al., 1988). The first out-of-Africa habitat expansion of D. melanogaster is thought to have occurred between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago, when it moved to Europe and Asia (David and Capy, 1988).

Who discovered Drosophila melanogaster?

One day in 1910, American geneticist Thomas Hunt Morgan peered through a hand lens at a male fruit fly, and he noticed it didn’t look right. Instead of having the normally brilliant red eyes of wild-type Drosophila melanogaster, this fly had white eyes.

When were fruit flies first used in genetics?

1901
The entire sequence contains an estimated 13,600 genes. The first documented use of the fruit fly in the laboratory is attributed to William Castle’s research group at Harvard in 1901.

When was the fruit fly discovered?

1910
After breeding millions of Drosophila in his laboratory at Columbia University, in 1910 Morgan noticed one fruit fly with a distinctive characteristic: white eyes instead of red. He isolated this specimen and mated it to an ordinary red-eyed fly.

Why is the Drosophila melanogaster popular with scientists?

Drosophila melanogaster, known colloquially as the fruit fly, remains one of the most commonly used model organisms for biomedical science. These tools allow researchers to maintain complex stocks with multiple mutations on single chromosomes over generations, an advance that made flies the premier genetic system [4].

Why do we study Drosophila melanogaster?

What did Thomas Morgan prove?

He showed that genes are linked in a series on chromosomes and are responsible for identifiable, hereditary traits. Morgan’s work played a key role in establishing the field of genetics. He received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1933.

Why do female fruit flies have to be virgins?

Virgin flies are needed to make sure that that the crosses are being appropriately made with the females using the desired sperms to fertilize their eggs. Female Drosophila are considered virgin eight to ten hours after they hatch from their pupa because during that time they are not receptive to male companionship and …

How can you tell if a fruit fly is male or female?

The most simple characteristic to use to differentiate the two is to look at the genitalia of the flies. Males have dark, rounded genitalia at the tip of their abdomen, whereas females have light, pointed genitalia.

What type of organism is Drosophila melanogaster?

fruit fly
Drosophila melanogaster is a species of fly (the taxonomic order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the “vinegar fly” or “pomace fly”.

Is the Drosophila melanogaster a model organism?

Abstract Drosophila melanogaster, the common fruit fly, has been used as a model organism in both medical and scientific research for over a century.

Who was the first scientist to study Drosophila?

Thomas Hunt Morgan was the preeminent biologist studying Drosophila early in the 1900’s. He was the first to discover sex-linkage and genetic recombination, which placed the small fly in the forefront of genetic research. Due to it’s small size, ease of culture and short generation time, geneticists have been using Drosophila ever since.

How long does it take Drosophila melanogaster to develop?

• The generation time of Drosophila melanogaster varies with temperature. The above cycle is for a temperature of about 22°C (72°F). Flies raised at lower temperature (to 18°C, or 64°F) will take about twice as long to develop.

Where does the drosopila melanogaster live in the world?

Drosophila melanogaster lives in a wide range of habitats. Native habitats include those in the tropical regions of the Old World, but the common fruit fly has been introduced to almost all temperate regions of the world. The only aspects that limit the habitats Drosopila melangaster can live in is temperature and availability of water.