EVAN ZHAO AP BIO 5

FRUIT FLY BEHAVIOR LAB REPORT

TITLE: Fruit Fly Behavior

PURPOSE: To find out if fruit flies have a color preference when selecting a food
source.
HYPOTHESIS: The fruit flies will generally choose yellow over other colors,
signifying a preference for the color yellow.
PROCEDURE:
Materials:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.

Apple juice
Cotton balls
Choice chambers
Food coloring
Fruit flies
Funnel
Bottle caps

1. Make 6 almost-identical chambers, controlling for size and shape and other
factors of the chamber as well as possible.
2. Mark each chamber at approximately 2/5 and 3/5 of the way across to mark
thresholds of a distinct choice or lack thereof (whether or not the fly seems
to have made a choice).
3. Make 3 cotton balls of each color by
a. Tearing whole cotton balls into two
b. Dipping each half into apple juice
c. Adding 5 drops of dye to each cotton ball and let it spread out
4. RELEASE THE FLIES INTO THE CHAMBER!!! Use the funnel to make
sure they do not escape.
5. Put the caps (each with the correct assigned color of cotton ball) on the ends
of the chambers.
6. Leave flies undisturbed for 2 minutes in the chamber and watch as they
settle down and make their choice (or lack thereof).

EVAN ZHAO AP BIO 5

FRUIT FLY BEHAVIOR LAB REPORT

7. Observe and collect data of the choices that each fly made with regard to
color preference, counting how many lie in each section (marked by the
threshold lines).
Controlled variables:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Chamber size (more or less)

Condition the fly comes in
Juice flavor
Location of the cotton balls
Amount of dye
Environment of chambers

Independent variable: The dyed color of the cotton ball

Dependent variable: Amount of flies attracted to each side
DATA: After observing and recording information on the location of the fruit flies
in each chamber, we found the following numbers.
Trial 1 (#)
Colors (C1/C2)
Red/Blue
Blue/Yellow
Yellow/Red
Red/White
Blue/White
Yellow/White

Color 1
2
5
8
5
5
7

Color 2
4
1
0
1
2
3

No choice
1
2
1
0
3
0

Color 2
8
8
4
0
2
0

No choice
1
3
1
0
1
0

Trial 2 (#)
Colors (C1/C2)
Red/Blue
Blue/Yellow
Yellow/Red
Red/White
Blue/White
Yellow/White

Color 1
1
2
8
7
13
7

EVAN ZHAO AP BIO 5

FRUIT FLY BEHAVIOR LAB REPORT

ANALYSIS: After adding together both the trials and solving for percentage
breakdowns for the aggregated trials, we observed the following numbers.
Aggregated Trials (#)
Colors (C1/C2)
Red/Blue
Blue/Yellow
Yellow/Red
Red/White
Blue/White
Yellow/White

Color 1
3
7
16
12
18
14

Color 2
12
9
4
1
4
3

No choice
2
5
2
0
4
0

Total
17
21
22
13
26
17

Combined Trials (%)

Colors (C1/C2)
Red/Blue
Blue/Yellow
Yellow/Red
Red/White
Blue/White
Yellow/White

Color 1
17.6
33.3
72.7
92.3
69.2
82.4

Color 2
70.6
42.9
18.2
7.7
15.4
17.6

No choice
11.8
23.8
9.1
0
15.4
0

Now, look to each of the colors individually and look for patterns and preferences
between specific combinations of colors.
Red Preference (%)
Colors (C1/C2)
Red
Color 2
No choice
Red/Blue
17.6
70.6
11.8
Red/Yellow
18.2
72.7
9.1
Red/White
92.3
7.7
0
Red is strongly preferable to the color white, but is strongly disfavored when
compared to either yellow or blue.

EVAN ZHAO AP BIO 5

FRUIT FLY BEHAVIOR LAB REPORT

Blue Preference (%)

Colors (C1/C2)
Blue
Color 2
No choice
Blue/Red
70.6
17.6
11.8
Blue/Yellow
33.3
42.9
23.8
Blue/White
69.2
15.4
15.4
Blue is preferable to red and white but is slightly less preferable than yellow.
Yellow Preference (%)
Colors (C1/C2)
Yellow
Color 2
No choice
Yellow/Blue
42.9
33.3
23.8
Yellow/Red
72.7
18.2
9.1
Yellow/White
82.4
17.6
0
Yellow seems to be strongly preferable to red and white but is only slightly
preferable to blue.
White Preference (%)
Colors (C1/C2)
White
Color 1
No choice
White/Red
7.7
92.3
0
White/Blue
15.4
69.2
15.4
White/Yellow
17.6
82.4
0
White is strongly disfavored relative to any of the other three colors.
CONCLUSIONS:
A. Comparison: The fruit flies will generally choose yellow over other colors,
signifying a preference for the color yellow. The hypothesis is confirmed
by the results of the experiment. When looking at yellow relative to every
other color, we find yellow has more preference. When compared to blue,
there is a 42.9 to 33.3 ratio of preference for yellow. When compared to red,
there is a 72.7 to 18.2 ratio of preference for yellow. When compared to
white, there is an 82.4 to 17.6 ratio of preference for yellow. It thus can be
concluded that yellow is preferable to all other colors used in the experiment.
B. Limiting Factors
a. One of the chambers was made with two different types of water
bottles, so the size and shape of the chamber was asymmetrical, which
could have altered the preference of the fruit flies. It is unsure what

EVAN ZHAO AP BIO 5

FRUIT FLY BEHAVIOR LAB REPORT

b.

c.

d.

e.

effect (if any) this had on the experiment, but we used this chamber
for the same colors in both trials, so there was no way to account for
this error.
There was no time to make sure that the cotton balls were the same
size and that the amount of apple juice used in each was identical, so
we approximated. The same people were assigned to the same
chambers (with the same two colors) both days of the experiment, so
its difficult to tell if the results were skewed because of the size of the
soaked cotton balls.
The thresholds of selection were chosen arbitrarily, and for each
chamber, they varied slightly because the chambers were not all the
same length or the same shape. Because all of the data is comparative
and relative (looking at preferences between two colors), its hard to
tell whether the results were really skewed. Because we used the same
chambers and same people for the same colors in each trial, if the data
were to be skewed by the person responsible for the chamber or by
the chamber itself, the skewed data would be consistent in both trials,
so we cant tell whether the data is false or not.
The plastic bottle chambers were transparent, so colors from the
outside were exposed anyways, so it was hard to control for outside
color disturbances in the chambers. There is no way to tell if there
really was an effect on our data as a result of this, but the preference
for Blue/Yellow switched from Trial 1 (which showed a preference
for blue) to Trial 2 (which showed a preference for yellow).
It was also difficult to tell if the surfaces we placed the chambers on
were truly flat or if they had any tilt to them, which could have
consistently skewed our data results. Because the same people were
responsible for the same chambers (and two colors) both trials, if they
did it identically both times, their data should be consistent from Trial
1 to Trial 2, so the precision of the experiment is high, but the
accuracy could be entirely off. We cant tell whether our data is really
correct or if its just consistent, especially because the data is
comparative and not a direct measurement of one dependent variable.

EVAN ZHAO AP BIO 5

FRUIT FLY BEHAVIOR LAB REPORT

C. Application: From the small sample of data we collected, we concluded that

fruit flies prefer yellow to blue, red, and white. We also concluded that white
is the least preferable color for fruit flies. From this conclusion, one can
improve their living standards by painting the inside walls of their house
white, and place fruit fly traps that are colored yellow around the house.
Before coming home from the grocery store, one can lather all of their fruits
with a thick white coating of primer paint before entering their vehicle and
driving home. This will likely deter fruit flies from following fruit into the
car and back home with individuals.