Introduction
In 1865, Gregor Mendel published a paper on the patterns of genetic inheritance in the common garden pea. This revolutionary work provided the basis for future study of genetics. Mendel hypothesized that heredity was passed on by discrete particles, rather than by the blending of parental traits, as was believed at the time, strongly affecting the argument over Darwin’s theory of evolution.
Mendel proposed two very basic laws which serve as the cornerstones of modern genetics: Mendel’s Law of Segregation and Law of Independent Assortment.
Objectives
In this experiment, you will
- Learn basic handling and culture techniques for working with Drosophila.
- Apply concepts and principles of Mendelian inheritance patterns.
- Diagram monohybrid, dihybrid, and sex-linked crosses.
- Gain experience sorting, sexing, and crossing Drosophila through two generations.
- Perform a chi-square statistical analysis of experimental results.