What is the Difference Between Drosophila and Neurospora

The key difference between drosophila and neurospora is that drosophila is a genus of small fruit flies, while Neurospora is a genus of ascomycete fungi.

Drosophila and Neurospora are two model organisms. A model organism is a species that has been widely studied. This is because these species are normally easy to maintain and breed in the laboratory setup. They also have particular experimental advantages. Often model organisms are defined as non-human species. Typically, the discoveries made in the model organism will provide insights into the workings of other organisms. Model organisms are widely used in the research of human diseases. The data generated from studying model organisms can be very informative, but care should be taken when generalizing from one organism to another.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Drosophila 
3. What is Neurospora
4. Similarities – Drosophila and Neurospora
5. Drosophila vs Neurospora in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Drosophila vs Neurospora

What is Drosophila?

Drosophila is a genus of small fruit flies. It belongs to the family Drosophilidae. The members of this genus are often called small fruit flies, pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies. This genus contains more than 1500 species. The species in this genus are diverse in appearance, behaviour and breeding habitats. Drosophila species normally linger around overripe or rotting fruits. Tepritidae is a similar species to drosophila and also feed primarily on unripe or ripe fruit. However, Tepritidae species are destructive agricultural pests, especially the Mediterranean fruit fly. Drosophila melanogaster is one species in this genus that has been heavily studied in genetics research over the years. Drosophila melanogaster is also a common modal organism in developmental biology.

Drosophila species are usually pale yellow, reddish-brown or black with red eyes. Their brain structure and function develop significantly from larval to adult stages. Many species in this genus have a distinct black pattern in the wings. These species can be found in all environments that include deserts, tropical rainforests, cities, swamps, and alpine zones. Drosophila species show sexual reproduction through mating. Some species also use traumatic insemination in sexual reproduction.  Moreover, Drosophila melanogaster is commonly used in the detoxification of DDT toxin in the environment.

What is Neurospora?

Neurospora is a genus of ascomycete fungi. The meaning of the name of this genus is nerve spore, which refers to the characteristic striations on the spores. Normally, these spores resemble axons. The most notable member in this genus is Neurospora crassa. It is a well-known model organism in biology. Neurospora intermedia var. Oncomensis is the only mould in this genus that is used in food production. This species is used to make a popular food know as “oncom”.

Neurospora species broadly spread through colonies with abundant ascomata. Ascomata contains embedded asci. Each ascus contains eight ascospores. These species show both sexual and asexual reproduction. Moreover, Neurospora is widely used as a modal organism in genetic researches.  George wells Beadle and Edward Lawrie Tatum postulated the hypothesis “one gene one enzyme” using Neurospora in 1958.

What are the Similarities Between Drosophila and Neurospora?

• Drosophila and Neurospora are two model organisms that have been widely studied.
• Both genera contain eukaryotic species.
• These genera are used in genetic and developmental biology researches.
• The species of both genera show sexual reproduction.

What is the Difference Between Drosophila and Neurospora?

Drosophila is a genus of small fruit flies, while Neurospora is a genus of ascomycete fungi. So, this is the key difference between drosophila and neurospora. Furthermore, drosophila shows only sexual reproduction, while Neurospora shows both sexual and asexual reproduction.

The below infographic lists the differences between drosophila and neurospora in tabular form for side by side comparison.

Summary – Drosophila vs Neurospora

A model organism is a species that has been widely studied in genetic and developmental biology. Drosophila and Neurospora are two model organisms. Drosophila is a genus of small fruit flies. They belong to Kingdom Arthropoda. Neurospora is a genus of ascomycete fungi. Thus, this summarizes the difference between drosophila and neurospora.

Reference:

1. “Drosophila”  An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.
2. “Neurospora.” An Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.

Image Courtesy:

1. “Drosophila melanogaster species group (D. melanogaster, simulans or suzukii)” By Anita Gould (CC BY-NC 2.0) via Flickr
2. “Neurospora crassahyphae” By Roland Gromes – Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia