The Effect Of Perfluorooctanoic Acid On The Growth And Development Of Drosophilia Melanogaster
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
10th Grade
Presentation Topic
Environmental Science
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a highly prevalent chemical in the industrial world, used in the production of Teflon, Gore-Tex, and other materials to make them water and oil repellent. It is found in everything from clothing to food packaging. However, PFOA was found to be a harmful carcinogenic and toxic chemical by the US Environmental Protection Agency, and was discovered in 99% of humans with links to diseases such as arthritis. In this experiment, different doses of PFOA were added to fruit fly cultures for two generations of the Drosophila melanogaster. It was predicted that the D. melanogaster would show more mutations and weigh less with increasingly higher dosage. The experimentation was carried out by initially creating fly cultures with 0 (control), 5, 10, 15 and 20 mgs of PFOA, each with 5 male and 5 females. The flies were then observed for two generations as well as massed and counted. The hypothesis was partly supported. Higher level doses corresponded with more mutations. That was confirmed by a chi-square test for independence that was run at α=0.05, F1: [x² (4, N=12)=12.7451, p=0.005221] and F2: [x² (4, N=8)=10.65, p=0.013777]. However, a linear regression t-test ran at α=0.05, [t(2)=-2.02026,p=0.0607)] showed that there was not a relationship between the level of treatment and mass of the flies. In conclusion, higher levels of PFOA led to an increase in the number of mutations but not an increase in mass.
Recommended Citation
Juhn, Christopher, "The Effect Of Perfluorooctanoic Acid On The Growth And Development Of Drosophilia Melanogaster" (2015). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 243.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2015/all/243
Start Date
4-11-2015 2:30 PM
End Date
4-11-2015 2:45 PM
The Effect Of Perfluorooctanoic Acid On The Growth And Development Of Drosophilia Melanogaster
Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a highly prevalent chemical in the industrial world, used in the production of Teflon, Gore-Tex, and other materials to make them water and oil repellent. It is found in everything from clothing to food packaging. However, PFOA was found to be a harmful carcinogenic and toxic chemical by the US Environmental Protection Agency, and was discovered in 99% of humans with links to diseases such as arthritis. In this experiment, different doses of PFOA were added to fruit fly cultures for two generations of the Drosophila melanogaster. It was predicted that the D. melanogaster would show more mutations and weigh less with increasingly higher dosage. The experimentation was carried out by initially creating fly cultures with 0 (control), 5, 10, 15 and 20 mgs of PFOA, each with 5 male and 5 females. The flies were then observed for two generations as well as massed and counted. The hypothesis was partly supported. Higher level doses corresponded with more mutations. That was confirmed by a chi-square test for independence that was run at α=0.05, F1: [x² (4, N=12)=12.7451, p=0.005221] and F2: [x² (4, N=8)=10.65, p=0.013777]. However, a linear regression t-test ran at α=0.05, [t(2)=-2.02026,p=0.0607)] showed that there was not a relationship between the level of treatment and mass of the flies. In conclusion, higher levels of PFOA led to an increase in the number of mutations but not an increase in mass.
