The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster was found to be very suitable for experimental verification of the chromosomal theory of inheritance by Morgan and his colleagues because:
a single mating produces two young flies
smaller female is easily recognisable from a large male
it completes its life cycle in about two weeks
it reproduces parthenogenetically
, Morgan and his colleagues chose Drosophila melanogaster because they complete their life cycle in about two weeks, allowing for the study of many generations in a short time. Additionally, they can be grown on simple synthetic medium, a single mating produces a large number of progeny flies (not just two), and there is a clear differentiation of sexes (though typically females are larger, contrary to the distracter option).
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