The Effect of Nicotine on Drosophila Melanogaster Lifespan and Number of Offspring

The purpose of this experiment is to determine the effect of nicotine on Drosophila melanogaster lifespan and number of offspring. It was hypothesized that if the amount of nicotine solution is increased, then Drosophila will have a shorter lifespan and fewer offspring. Four different concentrations of nicotine were mixed by filling jars with 10 mL of water and using a micropipette to measure each amount of nicotine, using 3 uL, 6 uL, 9 uL, and 12 uL as the amounts. Each vial of food was made by mixing 10 mL of food with 8 mL of the nicotine solution. Five test tubes were assembled, each with a different concentration of nicotine, and four male Drosophila and four female Drosophila were placed in each vial. . The number of living Drosophila was recorded every day for 25 days. The data reveals that the flies that were not exposed to the nicotine food had much longer lifespans and they produced offspring. The 3 uL group had one fly at the end, but the rest died by day 18. The 6 umL group died after the 19th day. The 9 uL group had two flies left, but the rest of the group died at day 21. The 12 uL group died at day 7. The control group started to reproduce on day 15. These results support the hypothesis that the Drosophila exposed to nicotine would have shorter lifespan and fewer offspring than the control group.