Laboratory Worksheet.

General Biology 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Lab Activity 4

Fruit Fly Population Structure 60 to 90 minutes

Let’s Review
In this unit, you have learned the importance of natural and artificial selection to the
speciation of organisms. Here is the summary of the unit’s content:

Evolution is a process involving the transformation of species through time. This process
may include changes in terms of morphology or genetics of the species. These series of
changes in the genetics and physical traits that often lead to the emergence of new species
are known as speciation.
○ Natural selection refers to the process where individual organisms having
favorable traits have greater survival fitness and reproductive success than
those that do not have the trait.
○ Artificial selection refers to the process of selecting plants or animal individuals
for breeding. This principle was developed from our understanding of heritable
traits.

Artificial selection in dog breeding

Lab Activity 4. Fruit Fly Population Structure 1

Laboratory Worksheet.
General Biology 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Population genetics is a field of science that deals with genetic variation in the
populations of organisms in the ecosystem. Several factors affect the genetic structure of
the population:
○ Genetic drift is the change of allele frequencies as a product of random
events in the environment.
○ Recombination refers to the process where pieces of DNA are segmented and
recombined to produce new combinations of alleles.

Genetic drift showing the removal of the green variants in a population

Based on the review, genetic variation can happen in a population. This is evident with the
difference in the proportion of phenotypes of individuals in the population. This activity will
allow you to observe the difference in phenotype frequencies of traits in the Drosophila
population.

Objectives
At the end of this laboratory activity, the students should be able to do the following:
● Collect wild fruit flies and observe phenotypic traits.
● Calculate the phenotypic frequency of selected traits in fruit flies population.

Lab Activity 4. Fruit Fly Population Structure 2

Laboratory Worksheet.
General Biology 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Materials
● banana
● yeast
● jars
● cotton ball (optional)
● petroleum ether (optional)
● dry ice (optional)
● bug spray (optional)
● microscope
● slides (blank)

Procedure
1. Form a group of five members for this activity.
2. Mash the banana and mix in half teaspoon of yeast.
3. Place the mixture in a jar and then set aside for one day. Do not seal the jar with a
cap to allow fruit flies to enter the container.
4. After one day, collect the jar and trap the fruit flies in the jar. Inspect the individuals
and observe the following traits:

Observable traits in Drosophila

Lab Activity 4. Fruit Fly Population Structure 3

Laboratory Worksheet.
General Biology 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Reminder
Be careful in the disposal of the fermented banana. Make sure to follow
your school’s rules regarding the disposal of spoiled food waste.
Alternatively, if done at home, make sure to cover it in recycled paper and
then place it in plastic bags prior to disposal in bins.

5. If you are finding it difficult to observe the fruit flies while they are moving, you may
anesthetize, kill, or knock out the flies using available materials. Some examples
include:
a. Placing a cotton ball soaked in petroleum ether inside the jar
b. Using dry ice
c. Carefully spraying a weak bug spray into the jar
Make sure that you take extra precautions in this step or ask your teacher for help.
6. Once you have observed the traits of your collected fruit flies, try to determine the
frequency traits in your collected Drosophila population. You may compute this by
counting the number of individuals with the trait against those individuals that do
not possess the trait. You may do this under the microscope.
7. You may calculate the percentage of phenotypic frequencies by dividing its count by
the total number of individuals in your sampled population.
8. Answer the guide questions afterward.

Lab Activity 4. Fruit Fly Population Structure 4

Laboratory Worksheet.
General Biology 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Data and Results

Table 4.1. Phenotypic frequency in the Drosophila population

Trait Individuals with the Trait Percentage frequency

Short aristae

Long aristae

Dumpy wings

Long wings

Vestigial wings

Short legs

Long legs

Black body

Grey body

Brown-eye

Purple-eye

Red-eye

Guide Questions
Answer the following questions.

1. Based on your data, do you think the mutant traits are frequent in the population?

Lab Activity 4. Fruit Fly Population Structure 5

Laboratory Worksheet.
General Biology 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

2. Why do you think mutated phenotypes occur in the population?

3. In what aspect do you think the changes in some phenotype of individuals can be
helpful to the population?

Conclusion

Lab Activity 4. Fruit Fly Population Structure 6

Laboratory Worksheet.
General Biology 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Bibliography

Hickman, Cleveland P. Integrated Principles of Zoology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2011.

Miller, Stephen A., and John P. Harley. Zoology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2010.

Russell, Peter J. Biology: the Dynamic Science. Student Ed. Belmont, CA:
Thomson/Brooks/Cole, 2008.

Starr, Cecie, Ralph Taggart, Christine A. Evers, and Lisa Starr. Biology: the Unity and Diversity
of Life. Boston, MA: Cengage, 2019.

Lab Activity 4. Fruit Fly Population Structure 7

Laboratory Worksheet.
General Biology 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Lab Activity 4
Fruit Fly Population Structure

Data and Results

Table 4.1. Phenotypic frequency in the Drosophila population

Trait Individuals with the Trait Percentage frequency

Short aristae

Long aristae

Dumpy wings

Long wings
This table depends on the This table depends on the
Vestigial wings students’ observations. It is students’ observations. It is
expected that the wild-type expected that the wild-type
Short legs
phenotypes will have greater phenotypes will have
Long legs frequencies compared to their greater frequencies

Black body mutant counterparts. compared to their mutant

counterparts.
Grey body

Brown-eye

Purple-eye

Red-eye

Lab Activity 4. Fruit Fly Population Structure 8

Laboratory Worksheet.
General Biology 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Answer Key

Guide Questions:

1. Based on your data, do you think the mutant traits are frequent in the population?

No, it has a lesser frequency compared to the wild type phenotypes. The mutation
is rare in the population and this is the normal pattern among populations of
organisms.

2. Why do you think mutated phenotypes occur in the population?

These occur due to some processes like mutations, recombination, selection, and
even genetic drift in the population.

3. In what aspect do you think the changes in some phenotype of individuals can be
helpful to the population?

It is helpful in keeping genetic diversity in the population. It avoids inbreeding

among individuals and helps avoid its detrimental effects.

Lab Activity 4. Fruit Fly Population Structure 9

Laboratory Worksheet.
General Biology 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Process Skills Rubric

Please rate your students from 0 to 5 where 0 is “not observed.” Not all descriptors are
necessary for the process skills to be scored.

Category 0 1 2 3 4 5

Critical Thinking

Analysis Evaluates or ranks Evaluates or ranks Effectively evaluates

Analyzing relevant information information with or ranks information
info to form an incorrectly in terms some errors in terms in terms of the
argument or reach a of the usefulness of the usefulness usefulness
conclusion supported (importance) in (importance) in (importance) in
with evidence supporting the supporting the supporting the
conclusion conclusion. conclusion

Synthesis Minimally Partially synthesizes Effectively

Synthesizing relevant synthesizes and and examines synthesizes and
info to form an examines different different types of examines different
argument or reach a types of information information to create types of information
conclusion supported to create a new a new understanding to create a new
with evidence understanding of of the project understanding of the
the project outcome outcome project outcome

Argument Constructs weak Constructs Constructs effective

Forming an argument arguments: makes arguments: makes arguments: makes
to reach a conclusion claims and provides claims and provides claims and provides
supported with minimal or incomplete but complete and
evidence irrelevant evidence relevant evidence to relevant evidence to
to support them support them support them

Critique Provides a weak Provides some Provides a

Evaluating relevant analysis to minimally analysis to minimally compelling analysis
info to form an compare or critique compare or critique to minimally compare
argument or reach a results or arguments results or arguments or critique results or
conclusion supported arguments
with evidence

Lab Activity 4. Fruit Fly Population Structure 10

Laboratory Worksheet.
General Biology 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Information Processing

Evaluating Minimally evaluates, Partially evaluates Effectively evaluates

Evaluating or simply recognizes, information for information for
information information for relevance or relevance or
relevance or importance to the task importance to the
importance to the task
task

Interpreting Inaccurately Interprets information Correctly interprets

Interpreting interprets with some errors information
information information

Transforming Minimally Partially manipulates Effectively

Transforming or manipulates or or transforms manipulates or
manipulating transforms information from one transforms
information information from form to another information from one
one form to another form to another

Oral Communication

Speaking Expresses Expresses partly Expresses complete

Exchanging incomplete thoughts complete thoughts thoughts about
information through about concepts with about concepts with concepts with
speaking irrelevant or somewhat relevant relevant and
ineffective language and effective effective language
language

Listening Minimally listens to Partially listens to Effectively listens to

Exchanging group members as group members as all group members as
information through they explain their they explain their they explain their
listening ideas with frequent ideas with some ideas with minimal
interruption interruption interruption

Nonverbal Cues Minimally shows Partially shows Clearly shows

Exchanging exchange through exchange through exchange through
information through nonverbal cues nonverbal cues nonverbal cues
nonverbal behaviors (turning toward each (turning toward each (turning toward each
other, nodding, other, nodding, other, nodding,
gesturing) when gesturing) when gesturing) when
others speak others speak others speak

Response Minimally promotes Partially promotes Effectively promotes

Understanding exchange of exchange of exchange of
exchange of information by information by information by
information responding to others’ responding to others’ responding to others’
ideas, explaining, and ideas, explaining, and ideas, explaining, and
checking for checking for checking for
understanding understanding understanding

Lab Activity 4. Fruit Fly Population Structure 11

Laboratory Worksheet.
General Biology 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Management

Planning Inadequately plans Partially plans a Effectively plans a

Planning one’s own a course of action by course of action by course of action by
and others’ efforts to describing or describing or referring describing or
accomplish a goal referring to a few of to a few of the steps referring to a few of
the steps required to required to the steps required to
accomplish the goal accomplish the goal accomplish the goal

Organizing Minimally organizes Partially organizes Effectively organizes

Organizing one’s own tasks, time, and tasks, time, and tasks, time, and
and others’ efforts to resources with resources with respect resources with
accomplish a goal respect to the goal to the goal respect to the goal

Directing Minimally directs Sometimes directs Routinely directs

Directing one’s own tasks to group tasks to group tasks to group
and others’ efforts to members members members
accomplish a goal

Coordinating Ineffectively Sometimes Effectively

Coordinating one’s coordinates a coordinates a coordinates a
own and others’ collective interaction collective interaction collective interaction
efforts to accomplish among few group among some group among all group
a goal members, including members, including members, including
monitoring monitoring monitoring
performance, to performance, to performance, to
accomplish the goal accomplish the goal accomplish the goal

Problem-Solving

Analysis Minimally analyzes Partially analyzes the Effectively analyzes

Identifying a strategy the problem and problem and identifies the problem and
that goes beyond identifies a few some pieces of key identifies all key
routine action to find pieces of key information and information and
a solution to a information and variables needed to variables needed to
situation or question variables needed to solve it solve it
solve it

Strategy Arrives at a strategy Arrives at a strategy Arrives at a strategy

Planning a strategy that is not that is functional but that is functional
that goes beyond functional not optimal and optimal
routine action to find
a solution to a
situation or question

Lab Activity 4. Fruit Fly Population Structure 12

Laboratory Worksheet.
General Biology 2
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Execution Has serious flaws in Has minor flaws in Implements the

Executing a strategy implementing the implementing the strategy effectively
that goes beyond strategy strategy
routine action to find
a solution to a
situation or question

Solution Addresses a few Addresses most parts Addresses all parts of

Finding a solution to parts of the problem of the problem and the problem and
a situation or and/or reaches a reaches a reasonable reaches a reasonable
question conclusion that is not conclusion conclusion
reasonable

Teamwork

Interaction Engages in Engages in sporadic Engages in

Interacting with infrequent interactions or continuous
others interactions or communication with interactions or
communication with all group members communication with
group members group members

Contribution Considers the Considers the Considers the

Building on one contributions, contributions, contributions,
another’s individual strengths, and skills strengths, and skills of strengths, and skills of
strengths and skills of few group most group members all group members
members

Progress Makes little progress Makes moderate Makes steady

Making progress toward a common progress toward a progress toward a
toward a goal goal, rarely on track common goal, mostly common goal,
on track completely on track

Cohesiveness Minimally unites Partially unites and Effectively unites and

Working toward a and functions as a functions as a functions as a
common goal cohesive unit cohesive unit cohesive unit

Adapted from Gil Reynders, Erica Suh, Renée S. Cole, and Rebecca L. Sansom, "Developing
Student Process Skills in a General Chemistry Laboratory," Journal of Chemical Education 96,
no. 10 (2019): 2109-2119, https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.9b00441. Copyright 2019 by
the American Chemical Society.

Lab Activity 4. Fruit Fly Population Structure 13