Answer:
The fruit fly also known as Drosophila melanogaster is a well understood of all the model organisms.
Drosophila is a giant of scientific research used to study genetics and development as:
1. Small size of fruit fly (3 mm long) has allowed scientists to keep them in laboratory in large numbers.
2. They are easy to maintain in the laboratory as they require a simple diet carbohydrates and yeast extract.
3. Short and simple reproduction cycle of 8-14 days so large number of offspring can be seen in small duration.
4. Relationship of fruit fly genes to human genes like 75 per cent of the disease causing genes are similar.
5. Fruit fly genes are easy to mutate so a large number of mutations in their traits can be studied.
6. Their polytene chromosomes allows easy study of chromosomal rearrangements and deletions.
7. In production of transgenic animals.
Thus, study of the fruit fly genes plays significant role in genetics.
