Question:

The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster was found to be very suitable for experimental verification of chromosomal theory of inheritance by Morgan and his colleagues because :

Updated On: May 1, 2024

it reproduces parthenogenetically
a single mating produces two young flies
smaller female is easily recognisable from larger male
it completes life cycle in about two weeks

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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Morgan worked with the tiny fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, which were found very suitable for such studies. They could be grown on simple synthetic medium in the laboratory. They complete their life cycle in about two weeks, and a single mating could produce a large number of progeny flies. There was a clear differentiation of the sexes-the male and female flies are easily distinguishable. Also, it has many types of hereditary variations that can be seen with low power microscopes.

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Concepts Used:

Principles of Inheritance and Variation - Mutation

A Mutation is a change in the sequence of our DNA base pairs caused by numerous environmental stimuli such as UV light or mistakes during DNA replication. Germline mutations take place in the eggs and sperm and can be passed onto offspring, whereas somatic mutations take place in body cells and are not passed on.

Types of Mutations

There are three types of mutations, which are as follows:

Silent mutation

It refers to any change in DNA sequence that has no effect on the amino acid sequence in a protein or the functions that a protein performs. There is no phenotypic indication that a mutation has occurred.

Nonsense mutation

When there is a change in the sequence of base pairs due to a point mutation, that results in a stop codon. This leads to a protein that is either shortened or non-functional.

Missense mutation

A missense mutation occurs when a point mutation causes a change in the codon, which then codes for another amino acid.

The mutation is caused by the following factors:

Internal Causes

When DNA copies incorrectly, the majority of mutations occur. Evolution occurs as a result of all of these mutations. DNA makes a copy of itself during cell division. When a copy of DNA isn't flawless, it's called a mutation since it differs somewhat from the original DNA.

External Causes

When certain chemicals or radiations are used to break down DNA, it causes the DNA to break down. The thymine dimers are broken by UV radiation, resulting in altered DNA.