It is important to know what different species can withstand temperature-wise, because a change in temperature can be detrimental to the animals that inhabit any area. Shelford's Law consists of three zones: Optimal Zone, Tolerance Zone, and Lethal Zone. These three zones groups together what is the best conditions for the organism, what conditions can merely be tolerated by an organism, and what conditions will cause an organism to die (Canadian Forrest Service). Shelford's Law states that each organism has a minimum and maximum of environmental factors that they can withstand before it becomes lethal (Dictionary of Ecology 4th ed.). In this experiment, my partner and I will be trying to decide whether or not fruit flies (Drosophila), have an optimal temperature that they thrive in. My hypothesis is that fruit flies do have an optimal temperature that they thrive in and that the fruit flies are best suited and will grow to larger numbers in mid-temperatures, or room temperature. The independent variable in this experiment will be the temperature that the fruit flies are subjected to inside of the incubator, which is 31 degrees Celsius. The dependent variable in the experiment will be the size of the fly population inside of the vials whether it grows or decreases. .
Materials and Methods.
The first step in the fruit fly lab was to put the fruit flies asleep temporarily with an organic chemical called triethylamine. Once asleep, we could begin finding six female and six male fruit flies by viewing them under a Binocular Dissecting Scope, and a paintbrush was used to move the flies around without harming them. In order to provide contrast, and to better see the fruit flies, a white note card was used to place the flies on and view them under the Binocular Dissecting Scope. The female fruit flies are, in many cases, larger than the males, and have a pointier abdomen. The males have a larger black spot on the bottom of the abdomen, unlike the females.