Genetics and Environmental Influences on Physical Traits
© Roblan. Licensed for use.
Students test two alternative hypotheses to explain observable differences fruit fly eye color: 1) Eye color differences are caused by environmental differences in diet; and 2) Eye color differences are caused by genetic differences. To this end, the student will allow the offspring of fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) with different eye colors to develop on different colors of food, and observe the eye color at the adult stage.
This lesson was designed for use with students in grade 7, but it also may be easily adjusted for use with other grade levels as appropriate.
For complete information about the activity, including time needed to wait between parts 1 and 2, materials needed, setup instructions, the procedure, and student pages, download the activity and teaching slide set using the links below.
Download: Genetics and Environmental Influences on Physical Traits Download: Genetics and Environmental Influences Slide Set
Related Content
-
Reproduction and Heredity
Lesson
Students will perform crosses between fruit fly strains and observe 1) the transmission of traits from parents to offspring, and 2) that offspring produced by sexual reproduction exhibit diverse combinations of parental traits.
Funded by the following grant(s)
This activity was funded by NSF Grant 1457800 to Erin S. Kelleher © University of Houston. Dissemination provided by Baylor College of Medicine via its BioEd Online Website.