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What the sources say

Fruit FlyDrosophila melanogaster

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Fruit Fly profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 46 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Drosophila melanogaster. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysA 3-millimetre fly
The source saysonly about 3 mm in lengthNote: tagline
The page saysRotting fruit and other decaying plants
The source saysThe adults thrive on rotting plants, and fruitsNote: stats.diet; ADW page last updated 2000, used for the adult food only
The page saysNot Evaluated
The source saysIUCN Red List No special statusNote: stats.conservationStatus. The prefetch found no Red List assessment DOI and GBIF's copy of the Red List holds no category for Drosophila melanogaster (Crossref searches under synonyms returned HTTP 429). ADW lists no special IUCN status. No IUCN reference is cited.
The page saysThe fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is about 3 mm long and 2 mm wide.
The source saysThe common fruit fly is normally a yellow brown (tan) color, and is only about 3 mm in length and 2 mm in widthNote: ADW page last updated 2000; size is stable
The page saysThe female is slightly larger than the male.
The source saysThe female is slightly larger than the male
The page saysIt is normally yellow-brown, with large red compound eyes
The source saysnormally a yellow brown (tan) color ... large, red, compound eyes
The page saysblack stripes on its abdomen
The source saysThere are black stripes on the dorsal surface of its abdomen
The page saysLike other flies, it has a single pair of wings.
The source saysLike other flies, Drosophila melanogaster has a single pair of wings
The page saysWhere a second pair would sit, it has knobby balancing organs called halteres.
The source saysOut of the last segment of its throax (which in other insects contains a second pair of wings) develops a set rudimentry wings that act as knobby balancing organs. These balancing organs are called halteres.

Source
02

Markow 2015

Markow (2015). The secret lives of Drosophila flies. eLife.

The page saysthat lives on rotting fruit
The source saysA human commensal associated primarily with rotting fruitsNote: tagline
The page sayshas been central to major breakthroughs in genetics
The source saysDrosophila melanogaster has been central to major breakthroughs in geneticsNote: tagline
The page saysWorldwide, around rotting fruit and other decaying plant matter
The source saysIts current distribution is worldwide ... A human commensal associated primarily with rotting fruits, D. melanogaster is also associated with a wide array of decaying vegetables and other plant matterNote: stats.habitat
The page saysplus some of the microbes in them
The source saysSome microbes in the decaying material themselves provide food for D. melanogaster , being selectively consumed by larvae or adultsNote: stats.diet
The page saysHas counterparts to an estimated 65% of human disease genes
The source saysApproximately 65% of human disease genes are estimated to have counterparts in D. melanogasterNote: stats.superpower
The page saysFew studies have been done in the wild, but those that have show wild flies tend to be larger than lab-reared ones.
The source saysFew studies of D. melanogaster have been done in the wild, but those that have reveal a different picture of wild flies. For one thing, they tend to be larger than laboratory reared flies
The page saysThe species appears to have originated in sub-Saharan Africa.
The source saysappears to have originated in sub-Saharan Africa
The page saysIt is thought to have spread to Europe and Asia 10,000 to 15,000 years ago
The source saysis thought to have occurred between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago, when it moved to Europe and Asia
The page saysits range is now worldwide
The source saysIts current distribution is worldwide
The page saysIt is a human commensal, a fly that lives alongside people, mostly around rotting fruit.
The source saysA human commensal associated primarily with rotting fruitsNote: 'which means it lives alongside people' is the writer's gloss of commensal
The page saysFemales lay their eggs in necrotic material, meaning dead and rotting matter, and the larvae (the maggot stage) develop and pupate there.
The source saysFemales lay their eggs in necrotic material, and the larvae develop and pupate there.Note: maggot stage: ADW says larvae are maggots
The page saysTwo life stages are completely immobile: the egg and the pupa.
The source saysTwo life stages are completely immobile: the egg and the pupa.
The page saysIn the wild, larvae and flies are exposed to predators such as ants, beetles, pseudoscorpions and lizards.
The source saysIn the wild, larvae and flies are also exposed to predators, such as ants, beetles, pseudoscorpions and lizards
The page saysSome of the microbes in its rotting food are food for the fly, and larvae or adults eat them selectively.
The source saysSome microbes in the decaying material themselves provide food for D. melanogaster , being selectively consumed by larvae or adults
The page saysOf the fly species that share a rotting fruit, its close relative Drosophila simulans arrives first, then D. melanogaster.
The source saysFirst to arrive is D. simulans, followed by D. melanogaster, and then the other species
The page saysThat order is consistent with D. melanogaster tolerating more ethanol (alcohol) than D. simulans does.
The source saysthis is consistent with D. melanogaster having a higher ethanol tolerance than its relative D. simulans
The page saysFrom its first use in the laboratory in the early 1900s until now, this fly has been central to major breakthroughs in genetics.
The source saysFrom its first use in the laboratory in the early 1900s until the present day, Drosophila melanogaster has been central to major breakthroughs in genetics.
The page saysThomas Hunt Morgan won the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries about the role of the chromosome in heredity.
The source saysThomas Hunt Morgan, who was awarded the 1933 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for ‘his discoveries concerning the role played by the chromosome in hereditary’
The page saysMorgan's former student Herman J Muller later won the prize in 1946 for discovering that X-rays cause mutations.
The source saysMorgan's former student, Herman J Muller, subsequently received the prize in 1946 ‘for the discovery of the production of mutations by means of X-ray irradiation’
The page saysThe fly has played an increasingly important role in creating animal models of human disease.
The source saysD. melanogaster has played an increasingly important role in the creation of animal models of human disease
The page saysApproximately 65% of human disease genes are estimated to have counterparts in it.
The source saysApproximately 65% of human disease genes are estimated to have counterparts in D. melanogaster
The page saysProbably sub-Saharan Africa, according to an eLife review.
The source saysappears to have originated in sub-Saharan AfricaNote: 'Probably' carries the source's 'appears to'
The page saysNorth America and Australia were colonized more recently.
The source saysNorth America and Australia were colonized more recentlyNote: 'than Europe and Asia' follows the 10,000-15,000 year Europe/Asia move in the preceding sentence
The page saysIn the lab, flies tend to be reared at a constant temperature and humidity
The source saysIn the laboratory, flies tend to be reared at a constant temperature and humidity level, while these abiotic variables fluctuate in nature.
The page saysthe fungal, bacterial and viral pathogens they meet in nature are absent
The source saysThe fungal, bacterial and viral pathogens ( Magwire et al., 2012 ; Keebaugh and Schlenke, 2014 ) flies encounter in nature are absent in the laboratory.
The page saysIn the wild, those conditions fluctuate
The source sayswhile these abiotic variables fluctuate in nature
The page saysand the flies also face parasites such as wasps and phoretic mites.
The source saysas well as to parasites, such as wasps and phoretic mites
The page saysAn eLife review calls the species an ecological generalist, and says that helped it be propagated in the lab.
The source saysThe fact that this fly is an ecological generalist no doubt contributed to the facility with which it was initially propagated in the laboratory
The page saysThe first person known to rear it probably also liked its short generation time and ease of rearing.
The source saysHarvard entomologist Charles Woodworth was the first to rear D. melanogaster , just after the turn of the 20th century . It is not clear why or how he came to breed them, but their short generation time and ease of rearing were probably very appealing attributes.
The page saysIts first move out of Africa is thought to have taken it to Europe and Asia
The source saysThe first out-of-Africa habitat expansion of D. melanogaster is thought to have occurred between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago, when it moved to Europe and Asia
The page saysLabs have used this fly since the early 1900s
The source saysFrom its first use in the laboratory in the early 1900sNote: vibe.reason
The page saysits short generation time was probably part of the appeal
The source saysIt is not clear why or how he came to breed them, but their short generation time and ease of rearing were probably very appealing attributesNote: vibe.reason

Source
03

Adams et al. 2000

Adams et al. (2000). The Genome Sequence of Drosophila melanogaster. Science.

The page saysThe first full read of the fly's genome, published in 2000, counted approximately 13,600 genes.
The source saysThe genome encodes approximately 13,600 genesNote: Year is the paper's own (Adams et al. 2000, Science), which announced the sequence as substantially complete; the count is scoped to that 2000 annotation

Source
04

Metaxakis & Partridge 2013

Metaxakis & Partridge (2013). Dietary Restriction Extends Lifespan in Wild-Derived Populations of Drosophila melanogaster. PLoS ONE.

The page saysIn one lab study, females
The source sayswe measured the lifespan and fecundity of 100 female flies
The page saysof a lab-adapted strain
The source saysa laboratory-adapted, white Dahomey strain
The page sayshad a median lifespan of 69 days on whichever of five diets kept them alive longest.
The source saysw Dah 21 28 67 78 69 79 60 70 55 66Note: Table 2 columns are median and maximum lifespan in days at yeast concentrations 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0: w Dah median 21, 67, 69, 60, 55. 69 days (1.0 yeast) is the highest median for the strain. Scoped to lab females.
The page sayson whichever of five diets kept them alive longest
The source saysA yeast concentration range of 0.1 to 2.0 captured the DR response of all strainsNote: Five yeast concentrations (0.1, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0); w Dah medians 21, 67, 69, 60, 55, so 69 is the longest

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.