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Which one of the following is the most suitable medium for culture of Drosophila melanogaster ?
A
Moist bread
B
Agar-agar
C
Ripe banana
D
Cow dung
Detailed Solution
Drosophila melanogaster is the fruit fly, used by T.H. Morgan for his experiments in genetics.
In nature it lives and breeds on ripe and fermenting fruits, feeding on the yeast that grows on them.
It can therefore be cultured very easily in the laboratory on a simple medium such as ripe banana.
The flies lay their eggs on the fruit, and the larvae feed on it and complete their life cycle in about two weeks.
This ease of culture, along with the short life cycle, the large number of offspring and the clear distinction between the sexes, made Drosophila ideal for genetic studies.
Moist bread, plain agar-agar and cow dung are not its natural food.
So the most suitable medium is ripe banana.
In nature it lives and breeds on ripe and fermenting fruits, feeding on the yeast that grows on them.
It can therefore be cultured very easily in the laboratory on a simple medium such as ripe banana.
The flies lay their eggs on the fruit, and the larvae feed on it and complete their life cycle in about two weeks.
This ease of culture, along with the short life cycle, the large number of offspring and the clear distinction between the sexes, made Drosophila ideal for genetic studies.
Moist bread, plain agar-agar and cow dung are not its natural food.
So the most suitable medium is ripe banana.