Commack High School senior Trinity Russell's article about the behavioral differences between "wild" and "domesticated' fruit flies took the cover spot in the prestigious Journal of Experimental Science in July. Research mentor and science teacher Richard Kurtz co-authored the article, which is published in its entirety in the journal. Her work with fruit flies, entitled "A Comparison of Laboratory-Reared Stock and Captured Fruit Flies (Drosophila melanogaster) using Upward Movement, Phototaxic, and Starvation Assays Reveals Significant Behavioral Differences," found significant differences in the behavior of lab raised fruit flies, and those which are found in the environment. For the entire article, please click here: http://www.jes2s.com/pdfs/russell_et_al.pdf

Trinity is gratified by this experience. She said, " It is rewarding to know that I have contributed to science research on a professional level. Becoming a published author has always been a dream of mine. However, I would have never envisioned accomplishing this dream while in high school. Commack High School’s Science Research Program has given me the aptitude to succeed. Although the last three years have been challenging, the outcome is worth every moment of hard work."

Mentor Richard Kurtz "has the honor of watching Trinity grow into an accomplished science research student. She understands the level of commitment and effort needed to be successful in science. Working with her on the paper was a joy!"

In photo above, Trinity is conducting research into fly neurobiology. She has been working over the summer at her lab bench at Cold Spring Harbor Labs. Trinity also attended the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair when she was in eleventh grade and won a third place Grand Award in Animal Sciences.

Abstract Fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) are model research organisms and are frequently reared in research institutions. Research specimens domesticated in a laboratory-reared setting may have different behavioral phenotypes as compared to their wild counterpart. Additionally, it has been determined that the absence of "key" stimuli in the physical environment of captive animals may result in altered behavioral patterns (Price, 1999). The purpose of this investigation was to test for differences in the behavioral phenotype of outdoor captured fruit flies as compared to laboratory-reared fruit flies with the use of three tests: an Upward Movement Assay, a Starvation Assay, and a Phototaxic Assay. Results from the Upward Movement Assay demonstrated statistically significant differences in the vertical moving speed of laboratory-reared flies and outdoor-caught flies. Results from the Phototaxic Assay revealed outdoor captured fruit flies exhibited a natural phototaxic behavior while laboratory-reared flies exhibited an inverse phototaxic behavior. The Starvation Assay proved that flies recently descended from outdoor caught fruit flies were able to withstand starvation twice as long as laboratory-reared flies. These results indicate a strong behavioral difference between flies that are descended from laboratory stock and flies that are caught from the outdoors. Research regarding the differences in domesticated organisms is an imperative topic for study because domestication and genetic drift have the potential to alter the behavioral phenotype. Changes in the behavioral phenotype may jeopardize the results of research experiments. Thus it is crucial to have a through comprehension of the behavior of outdoor caught fruit flies as compared to the behavior of their wild counterpart. It is suggested scientists change their fruit fly stock every few hundred generations in effort to protect the natural gene pools of organisms which are bred in captivity for extended periods of time.

According to the JESS website, "JESS is a professionally reviewed academic journal, which exclusively publishes original research articles written by high school students. Submissions are reviewed by college professors and research scientists, who are chosen based on their expertise in the particular area of science that each article addresses. We are recognized by the Library of Congress, the NSTA, and all articles are indexed on multiple journal databases designed for research scientists. Our mission, through our rigorous review process, is to teach students to write articles in the academically accepted format, to promote student research, improve science literacy, and to display the most exceptional works that are products of students, their teachers, and the schools they attend."