Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Comparative Analysis Of Drosophila Athabasca Cuticular Hydrocarbons For Generation Of Synthetic Material To Study Evolutionary Implications, Brittany Gay

Honors Theses

Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) have been studied extensively and their roles explored for various species of insects. However, only a single reported study has focused on the role of CHCs in Drosophila athabasca, a species of fruit fly native to North America. The work herein describes advances in identification, synthesis and quantification of biologically relevant CHCs present in this species. Identifying CHC profile differences among D. athabasca sub-races (Eastern A, Eastern B and WestNorthern) was performed using multiple analytical techniques. Synthesis of proposed structures confirmed their identity. External standard curves were used to quantify CHCs. GC-MS analysis of CHCs from several …