Barcode Long Island Team Drosophila DNA
Program:
Barcode Long Island
Year:
2018-19
Research Topic:
Biodiversity & trade
Taxonomic Group Studied:
Animals: Invertebrate

Project:

Drosophila DNA
Students:
Shweta Karmarkar, Elizabeth DeSimone
School:
Islip High School, Suffolk
Mentors:
Kelly Mackey

Abstract:

Fruit flies cause widespread agricultural damage in the United States. Through oviposition, female fruit flies bruise soft-skinned fruit, leading to them being no longer economically viable. Several studies indicate that fruit flies are attracted to acetic acid, certain strains of yeast, ethyl acetate, merlot wine, and rice vinegar. Knowledge of their damage and known attractants leads to the question of if fruit flies prefer organic apples and grapes over grocery market apples and grapes. Fruit flies are to be collected in five apple farms and five grape farms, as well as 5 grocery markets, specifically their grapes and apples sections. Once collected, their DNA is isolated and analyzed using gel electrophoresis and PCR reactions. The DNA sequences obtained will then be run through various databases to determine the correlation between the species of Drosophila and quality of fruit. Once the species are known, their sequences will be submitted in the DNA Barcode database, which will a

Poster:

Team samples: