Effects of Caffeine of Drosophila Melanogaster Larvae Development and Behavior
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Secondary School
Institution
Project Lead The Way - Kentucky
KY House District #
80
KY Senate District #
15
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Jennifer Wilson
Abstract
Caffeine is widely consumed in today’s society by all age groups. Present in energy drinks, soft drinks, and, of course, coffee, caffeine activates many behavioral and neurological mechanisms, and is associated with increased positive subjective effects such as higher alertness and faster development. In this project I will conduct an investigation to determine the effects of diets high in caffeine using Drosophila melanogaster larvae. The larvae will be transferred during first Instar stage in groups of twenty-five to thirty, to two tubes. One tube will contain a diet of commercial fruit fly media alone, and the second tube will contain a commercial fruit fly media containing the same amount of caffeine as the average cup of coffee contains (95mg/8 oz or 237g). I will study larval survival rate, timing of development milestones, and behaviors such as body wall contractions and mouth hook movements to determine if consumption of caffeine negatively impacts normal larval development. Results cannot be finalized due to the experiment being ongoing at the time of this abstract.
Effects of Caffeine of Drosophila Melanogaster Larvae Development and Behavior
Caffeine is widely consumed in today’s society by all age groups. Present in energy drinks, soft drinks, and, of course, coffee, caffeine activates many behavioral and neurological mechanisms, and is associated with increased positive subjective effects such as higher alertness and faster development. In this project I will conduct an investigation to determine the effects of diets high in caffeine using Drosophila melanogaster larvae. The larvae will be transferred during first Instar stage in groups of twenty-five to thirty, to two tubes. One tube will contain a diet of commercial fruit fly media alone, and the second tube will contain a commercial fruit fly media containing the same amount of caffeine as the average cup of coffee contains (95mg/8 oz or 237g). I will study larval survival rate, timing of development milestones, and behaviors such as body wall contractions and mouth hook movements to determine if consumption of caffeine negatively impacts normal larval development. Results cannot be finalized due to the experiment being ongoing at the time of this abstract.