While organisms have been shown to evolve over large timespans, increasing evidence supports the idea that evolution occurs in a pace similar to Ecological changes (Hoffmann et al., 2022). In this experiment, Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster) is examined over the course of several months for several metrics: population size, fecundity, pigmentation, and body size. This poster focuses on the process for finding the population size and fecundity measurements by the analysis of census photos and metal pans containing food, in which the D. melanogaster laid their eggs, to determine the fitness of the populations. By looking at the association between pigmentation and fitness within D. melanogaster, it can be better identified how the traits that govern pigmentation evolve.  As well, how rapid evolution leads to adaptive tracking can be better understood in D. melanogaster, and many other organisms by extension.

References:

Ary H. Hoffmann, Thomas Flatt, The rapid tempo of adaptation. Science 375, 1226-1227 (2022). DOI: 10.1126/science.abo1817