Variability in Female Preference Traits of Fruit Flies

The species Drosophila Athabasca is a well-studied animal model in the field of evolutionary biology. Different lines of Drosophila Athabasca remain sexually isolated from one another though mating-song mechanisms, leading to the broader question of how these species experienced speciation. The Yukilevich lab at Union College has discovered that the main differentiating factor of this mating song is inter pulse interval (IPI) of the mating song, which is controlled by male fruit fly through wing movement. The average IPI of my Drosophila Athabasca line is 33 IPI. In my thesis, I artificially select female mutants with preference for extreme high and low IPI, and continue to do so with each successive generation. The goal of this project is to establish the versatility of female preference traits in Drosophila Athabasca, by increasing mating percentage (preference) for extreme mating conditions with each successive generation of extreme high IPI and extreme low IPI lines.