From owner-drosophila@net.bio.net Thu Feb 23 22:00:00 1995 Path: biosci!agate!news.ucdavis.edu!jane!ez041467 From: ez041467@jane.ucdavis.edu (Erick Oshel) Newsgroups: bionet.drosophila Subject: Wanted: nonselected trait for bio. lab Date: 24 Feb 1995 19:17:26 GMT Organization: University of California, Davis Lines: 35 Message-ID: <3ilbc6$ldv@mark.ucdavis.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: jane.ucdavis.edu X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2] Hello, I am working with the University of California, Davis to redesign the genetics lab for an introductory biology course. Currently, the lab uses gel electrophoresis to score ADH in Drosophila. We would like to be able to demonstrate genetic drift and the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium by establishing small populations taken from a larger "infinite" population. Question 1: Ideally, we are looking for traits which are codominant and scorable under a disecting microscope without killing the flies. However, we have yet to find a scorable trait which is not selected against! Any help and suggestions on what traits we should use would be appreciated. Question 2: Also, I have no idea how long it will take to build up a large enough population of flies to simulate an infinte population from which small colonies of flies will be removed and allowed to grow on their own. Our hope is that these colonies will demonstrate changes in allele frequency. If this works, the flies will be used to teach several introductory biology labs. Thanks in advance for your help. -Erick Oshel etoshel@ucdavis.edu .