Student Scholarship

Document Type

Research Paper

Abstract

House flies (Musca domestica) were tested for behavioral disturbances due to AChE reduction from malathion p.o .. The flies occupied a habitat where the water supply was contaminated to a 0.001% concentration of malathion for a 24-hour period. The behavior disturbances were evaluated by mean movement and comparison of ethograms. Data indicates that such a dosage, has a significant effect on fly behavior, with no direct lethality. Page 2 Reid

Research Highlights

  • The Problem: This research investigates the behavioral disturbances and survival impacts on Musca domestica (house flies) resulting from sublethal concentrations of the neurotoxic pesticide malathion. 

  • The Method: Researchers exposed house flies to a 0.001% malathion concentration in their water supply for 24 hours, subsequently recording behavior via a VHS video system to analyze mean movement and compare ethograms against a control group. 

  • Quantitative Finding: The test group experienced a 20% mortality rate attributed to secondary drowning; 20% of the group suffered physical impairment from wetted wings; the expected value for back leg grooming was 5.9% compared to an observed value of 34.5% (X^{2}=138.6); and mean movement was recorded across three runs with values such as 56, 47, and 42 inches/minute for the test group. 

  • Qualitative Finding: Malathion exposure caused significant increases in the grooming of back legs, potentially due to sensations of lower extremity paralysis; treated flies exhibited a reduction in the total number of distinct behaviors performed; observations suggested failures in coordination and orientation leading to accidental drowning. 

Publication Date

1988

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

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