Drosophila pseudoobscura is a
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of
fruit flyDrosophilidae is a diverse, cosmopolitan family of flies, including the genus Drosophila, which includes fruit flies. The best known species is Drosophila melanogaster that is used extensively for studies concerning genetics, development, physiology, ecology, behaviour, etc...
, used extensively in lab studies of
speciationSpeciation is the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise. The biologist Orator F. Cook seems to have been the first to coin the term 'speciation' for the splitting of lineages or 'cladogenesis,' as opposed to 'anagenesis' or 'phyletic evolution' occurring within lineages...
.
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Drosophila pseudoobscura is a
speciesIn biology, a species is:* a taxonomic rank or* a unit at that rank ....
of
fruit flyDrosophilidae is a diverse, cosmopolitan family of flies, including the genus Drosophila, which includes fruit flies. The best known species is Drosophila melanogaster that is used extensively for studies concerning genetics, development, physiology, ecology, behaviour, etc...
, used extensively in lab studies of
speciationSpeciation is the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise. The biologist Orator F. Cook seems to have been the first to coin the term 'speciation' for the splitting of lineages or 'cladogenesis,' as opposed to 'anagenesis' or 'phyletic evolution' occurring within lineages...
.
In 2005,
D. pseudoobscura was the second
Drosophila species to have its genome sequenced, after the model organism
Drosophila melanogasterDrosophila melanogaster is a species of Diptera, or the order of flies, in the family Drosophilidae. The species is commonly known as the common fruit fly or vinegar fly. Starting from Charles W...
.
Diane Dodd was able to show
allopatric speciationAllopatric and allopatry are terms from biogeography, referring to organisms whose ranges are entirely separate, so that they do not occur in any one place together. If these organisms are closely related Allopatric and allopatry are terms from biogeography, referring to organisms whose ranges are...
by
reproductive isolationAn important concept in evolutionary biology, reproductive isolation is a category of mechanisms that prevent two or more populations from exchanging genes. The separation of the gene pools of populations, under some conditions, can lead to the genesis of distinct species...
in
D. pseudoobscura after only eight generations using different food types, starch and maltose. Dodd's experiment has been easy for many others to replicate, including with other kinds of fruit flies and foods.